Road to RECon Asia 2010: Show Me the Money
It seems that Asian shopping centers aren’t getting too caught up in the hype surrounding their region’s impressive growth rates. Marketers are as focused as ever on the bottom line, and this year’s ICSC Asia Shopping Center Awards reflect the enduring trend.
Of the 116 finalist entries in the competition, 27 are in the Sales Promotions & Events category. Other issues on marketers’ minds: using advertising to rise above the retail clutter and honoring their centers’ CSR mandates.
Here’s a look at the remaining finalist breakdown:
• Advertising: 24 entries
• Cause-related Marketing: 22
• Grand Openings: 19
• New Media: eight
• B2B and PR categories: seven each
• Alternative revenue: two
Somewhat of a surprise is how few finalists there are in the Alternative Revenue and New Media categories; a sign that marketers still rely on tried-and-true promotional models to develop the majority of their strategies.
In terms of regional markets, Australia is the clear favorite to scoop the most awards. It has more than 40 entries vying for recognition. The other strong marketing contenders are Hong Kong, Singapore, China, India, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Say What?
If you’ve ever yelled at tourists, thinking that it would help them understand you better, then this week’s marketing idea is for you.
Japan’s Canal City Hakata offers TV phone interpretation services at its information center. Don’t speak a word of Japanese? No problem. Just step right up to the TV phone booth, state your query and the interpreter on the video monitor will translate your message or question into Japanese for the staff manning the info center.
The booth is accessible daily from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m., and can handle queries in English, Korean, Mandarin Chinese or Japanese sign language.
I’m off to Beijing next week, so watch out for our fall Tactics edition for a complete report on the conference and the winners of this year’s ICSC Asia Shopping Center Awards.
Myriam Beaugé Editor in Chief, Tactics Magazine
