|
|
 |
|
industry headlines
|
- Royal Wedding Apathy Spurs Britons to ‘Commemorate Indifference’: Shoppers are spending on commemorative items, but they're also spending to show off their apathy. Either way, the Royal Wedding is a retail juggernaut. (Bloomberg)
- Japan retail sales tumble, recovery likely uneven: Unsurprisingly, the disasters have had a major impact on Japan's retail industry, and it may take time to improve. (Reuters)
- 99 Cents looks to lure the frugal bride: The Royal Wedding gave 99 Cents Only the excuse to launch its Briday Registry. (Retailing Today)
- Retail up only slightly in Easter week: Looks like Easter wasn't as big as hoped in the U.S. this year. (UPI)
- Man Loses Weight by Living in Mall for 30 Days, Now Returning to Wild Suburbia: Curious about the results of the Human Do.ing? Here's a followup. (The Village Voice)
- Big box stores battling for retail space: Retailers moving into Canada are encountering one problem - the good spots are already full. (Toronto Star)
- American Apparel Gets $14.9 Million Investment That May Grow: Things were looking very grim for the retailer, but a last second investment may save it. (Bloomberg)
- More solar panels, EV charging stations at Macy's stores as chain tries to be more sustainable: EV stations are popping up all over these days. (ICSC)
- Bigger lick of the market: Ben & Jerry's announce franchise plans: The retailer hopes to avoid the pitfalls of other imports to the Australian market. (Sydney Morning Herald)
- Lululemon, Other Trendy Retailers Enjoy Pricing Power: Top retailers aren't delving into discounts - rather, they have the freedom to pass on price increases to their shoppers. (Investors)
- Who Makes the Call at the Mall, Men or Women?: Women may not have quite as much control of the household spending as is usually assumed. (Wall Street Journal - subscription)
Click through to discuss this week's news.
|
|
this week's news
|
|
Mom Takes a Night Out at Ventura Harbor Village
Next week is all about Mom in North America. Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 8th, but before that hits there’s another, newer Mom-related holiday: Mom’s Nite Out. This year, that falls on Thursday, May 5th. In case you don’t already know, it’s an annual celebration of motherhood that gives Moms the chance to pamper themselves without having to worry about taking care of their families’ needs – something Mother’s Day doesn’t tend to offer.
Simon Malls is joining the party again this year, with fashion events, discounts and deals, pampering sessions and other fun stuff. Over 100 Simon centers are participating.
Ventura Harbor Village, a retail and tourism destination in California, is also on board, and has planned a great night. It’s offering live jazz by saxophone musician Justin Claveria, Hawaiian Dance Lessons, “Romancing the Divine” aromatherapy instruction and a lot more fun.
What’s extra-impressive about the Ventura Harbor Village event, though, is how enthusiastically retailers have participated. Dozens of retailers and restaurants have special offers available for moms that night, including complementary food, drink and sweet treats. Others are offering deep discounts.
There are a few particularly neat offerings: free art therapy classes at Harbor Village Gallery & Artisan Store, free pottery experiences with artists at Ventura County Potter’s Guild, or a professional portrait at Steve Munch Photography.
Comment on this story.
|
The Rock Holds a Grown Up Easter Hunt
The Rock Bury added a high-tech twist to its Easter egg hunt this year: QR codes.
The QR (or Quick Response) codes were hidden away at a variety of stores, restaurants and leisure destinations. A flyer was handed out with the first code. Scanning the code with a smartphone and a code-reading application led shoppers to a web page containing the first set clues. They were sent to The Entertainer, a toy retailer in the center. Knowing the destination was only the first step, however. To find the next destination, they had to follow the clues:
“Look for the code at the back of the store,
Above the Strikers game where you shoot to score,
The code is below a smiley face,
So scan it with your phone to find the next place.”
The hidden code in the shop led to the next retailer, in a treasure hunt with ten stops along the way.
Once participants had thoroughly explored the center and discovered all it has to offer, they reached the end of the hunt, where an entry for a $500 gift certificate draw was waiting. And just in case some people found a way to skip ahead, entry required answering three questions about the hunt.
There’s a lot to love about the promotion, although if we could make one suggestion (for next year, perhaps) it would be to offer up some small goody bags or treats for everyone who participates. This sort of promotion asks for a lot of a shopper’s time, and a tangible reward alongside a chance to win might encourage even more people to get involved. But otherwise, it seems like a great way to get the attention of shoppers that might not normally pay attention to an Easter promotion.
According to Nikki Kitchen, marketing manager at The Rock Bury, “Digital and social media has been a big part of our visitor engagement strategy since launch in July 2010. Latest independent research indicates that 85% of the under 35 audience has directly engaged with our social media activity – but we continually aim to push the boundaries and find new ways to engage with the audience.”
Comment on this story.
|
Exchange Tower Lets Shoppers Pick Their Own Prizes
Having trouble customizing a prize that will appeal to all of your shoppers? Take a look at the Exchange Tower’s Fill It To Win It promotion for inspiration.
The center wanted to build its brand and bring all its tenants into the promotion. So through the month of March, it held this online promotion that gave shoppers the chance to build their own prize. The site for the promotion gave shoppers a virtual tote bag that needed filling. The totes could hold $1000 of virtual goods, as represented by $100 shopping tags.
It wasn’t a matter of just dragging virtual tags to a virtual tote, however. The center listed each category of retailer it has to offer. Shoppers could look through the categories, find the retailers they love, and put that category’s tag into the tote. Whether they wanted ten electronics tags, or five fashion tags and five housewares tags (Fashonista Faves was apparently the most popular category), they could mix and match to their heart's content. The winner was chosen at random, and won the prize package they’d customized in store gift cards.
With 2,375 entries in total and nearly 30% requesting more contact from the center, the contest was a big success. And Exchange Tower gained a lot of valuable marketing info about shoppers’ demographics and favorite categories.
Comment on this story.
|
Erina Fair Helps Moms Be Better Moms
Mother’s Day events are often all about pampering. Mani-pedis, treats and other little luxuries are the order of the day.
But the day before Mother’s Day is free and clear, and this year Erina Fair is using it to host an event that is all about moms being better moms. ForMum is the center’s first community forum for local moms, and it looks like it’ll be an event that mothers will find enlightening, educational and encouraging.
The day is split into three sections: Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers, School Children. During those sections, local experts will hold sessions to teach women some tricks of motherhood. The center is also prepared to arrange child minding for the day.
Moms with new babies (or with one on the way) can learn more about how to take care of a new family member. They’ll also learn how to take good care of themselves post-natally. Fashion for new moms and travel with a baby are also going to be covered.
For those with toddlers, discussions focus on quick meals, de-stressing, handling toddlers, and reading and routines for the little ones. And for older children, Mom can learn techniques to better understand their teenaged children, how to handle bullying and cyber-bullying, and how to take care of themselves while taking care of a growing family.
Hopefully ForMum will see moms feeling centered and ready to enjoy those burnt-toast breakfasts in bed the next morning.
Comment on this story.
|
|
|
|
viral marketing
|
|
Beckham Scores Big on the Beach
Remember the Roger Federer trick shot ad for Gillette? The premise of the video was that Federer was filming an ad for the brand and just so happened to make an amazing trick shot on camera. It hit millions of views.
So this week’s top viral ad might seem a little familiar. In this one, David Beckham is relaxing on the beach in the midst of a Diet Pepsi ad shoot. The cameraman challenges him to make a ridiculous shot, and he pulls it off. Queue 3 million views and counting.
What is it about this combination of celebrity and fake vs. real that get people so excited? These aren’t the only two examples, though they’re the most similar we’ve seen. Should we be expecting parodies soon?
Comment on this story.
|
|
cause marketing
|
|
Procter & Gamble Makes Every Day Earth Day
Procter & Gamble’s plan for Earth Day had a lot going for it. A few weeks in advance of the holiday, the company started promoting a new mobile application online. On Earth Day, the app was released to the wild, and it set users to the task of saving the world one day at a time.
The app, My Carbon Footprint, was created by Blue Chip Marketing Worldwide. It’s only available in the U.S., so if you can’t access it, here’s the gist. To start, you’re presented with a few customization options for a planet. Once you make your selections, the app asks a series of simple environmental questions. It might ask if you recycle, or whether you drive regularly, or if you leave the television on when you leave the room. Based on your answers, it creates a custom planet that reflects your environmental choices. Each day, the app asks another question, and depending on your answers, your planet will get better and cleaner or worse and more industrial. If things are going badly and you want to save your world, the only way to make it happen is to make positive real-world changes (or fib, but let’s not be cynical).
It really modernizes the somewhat tired concept of a carbon footprint. If your planet is falling apart, then that’s what our planet might look like if everyone behaved like you. If your planet is spotless and beautiful, then you’re making the right choices, and other people should follow your lead. And that’s where the app’s badge system and Facebook integration come into things. Invite your friends, and share your planet with them. Maybe they’ll want to follow your lead.
Comment on this story.
|
|
mall world
|
|
Hazelton Lane Remixes for Luxury
Hazelton Lanes is no stranger to luxury. The Toronto, Canada shopping center currently welcomes over 2 million visitors a year, many of whom are women in the “cosmopolitan elite” or “urban uptown” demographics – if you’re unfamiliar, think middle class to wealthy urban women with plenty of disposable income.
That local population is growing rapidly, however, and Hazelton Lanes doesn’t intend to be left behind. So the center is embarking on a large-scale transformation to re-establish the centre as an all year round community hub for Bloor-Yorkville residents and surrounding neighborhoods.
Part of that transformation involves working with center retailers. Changes will include a major expansion of Whole Foods with the creation of a 50,000 square foot flagship food emporium to be complete with gourmet take out and dine in facilities, and the incorporation of TNT Woman & TNT Blu Concept into a two-level boutique department store.
The other major aspect of the renovations will be the creation of a new centre piazza, to be named the “Oval Square”. The Oval Square will give shoppers a haven in which to relax and unwind. Along with some striking new architectural features (including a balustrade with mezzanines and balconies, and a boldly designed curved stairway), the Square will feature a variety of seating options – soft seating, lunch bars, community tables and free-standing tables, all within range of wi-fi access. It will also feature a permanent raised platform that will spend time as both a seating area and a stage for special events such as celebrity appearances, fashion shows, cooking demonstrations and community events.
Comment on this story.
|
|
|
|
April 29, 2011
|
sneak peek
|
Tactics Magazine.
|
Kanyon visitors got in shape while shopping last year, thanks to a handy iPhone app.
Subscribe today!
|
|
Marketing Trendz.
|
The UK’s Ted Baker recently took online shoppers on an unusual Easter rotten egg hunt.
Don't miss it. Subscribe today!
|
resource directory
|
|
rate card
|
|
Our 2011 advertising rate card is now online. Please choose your region:
US/Canada
United Kingdom
Australia
Marketing Trendz
|
weekly quote
|
"Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric."
Bertrand Russell
(1872 - 1970) |
icsc events
|
|
trial offer
|
 |
Get a complimentary digital issue of Tactics Magazine or Marketing Trendz today!
Click Here
Click Here
|
|
 |
contact the editor
|
Send your messages, stories and press releases to the Editor, Nissa Campbell. We can't wait to hear from you.
|
marketing links
|
|
|
|
