You undoubtedly use your shopping center’s newsletter as a valuable resource. With brand loyalty becoming a bigger issue in the current economic climate, being able to reach out to your audience and remind them why they love to shop at your mall is priceless. But are you doing all you can to connect with your shoppers?

In recent weeks, a number of malls have been upping the ante on newsletter registration. While many malls are still offering a chance to win a gift card or retailer prize package, some shopping centers are raising the value of their sign-up contests. One perennially popular contest to drive registrations is a chance to win a Nintendo Wii. Facing another Christmas season filled with Wii shortages, shoppers are willing to take whatever chance is offered to get their hands on the hard-to-find console.

But Cadillac Fairview is one company that’s taking it a step further with its “Go Green and Win” promotion. Shoppers who register for the Cadillac Fairview Experience (the company’s collection of email newsletters) are entered to win a tropical vacation for four, along with the usual gift cards and prize packs.

Not only is the prize inspirational – the website is impressive too. Filled with tips for green shopping and entertaining, the site offers even more value for discerning shoppers. Users can rate the articles, adding a social aspect. But the promotion itself doesn’t seem particularly green, so that disconnect may turn off skeptical shoppers, who are wary of “greenwashing.”

Do you find your shopping center’s newsletter(s) even more valuable in tough economic times?

BikBok, a European fashion retailer, has launched a very simple scheme to encourage charity in tight financial times.  When customers pay for their purchases, they’re asked if they want to round up for Redd Barna (Save the Children, Norway).

Adding donations onto purchases isn’t a new idea by any means, but “keeping the change” for charity is a bit of a different angle in a time when people are more likely to turn down familiar requests.

Storo Storsenter in Norway has also put a new twist on an old idea. The shopping center is holding a discount weekend every weekend. It produces a new 5-coupon book every week that offers shoppers savings at shopping center retailers, with a different set of retailers featured each week. This keeps shoppers spending, with a surprise selection of time limited offers each Friday and Saturday.

Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre is celebrating the release of the Baz Luhrmann film Australia with an exclusive exhibition.

The shopping centre will be displaying photography from the set of the film, including candid shots of its stars, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The event will include a silent auction of some of the photographs, with proceeds going to the Australian Conservation Foundation. The shopping centre will also be launching a new Australia themed gift card to commemorate the film, with partial proceeds going to the Foundation as well.

It’s not every day such a conveniant theme for a promotion comes along, so kudos to Forest Hill Chase for snagging the exclusive exhibit.

It’s a well documented fact that people love pictures of cute animals. And with pets becoming more like members of the family all the time (when they have their own rooms and eat at the dinner table, it’s time to call it like it is), it’s only fitting that some malls have started including them in their own family traditions.

Like Coastland Center, in Florida, USA, which is inviting pet owners in on Monday evenings this holiday season to get their little loved ones’ photos taken with Santa. A number of GGP malls are taking part, and it seems like a great (if messy) way to expand Santa’s audience to child-free couples and singles.

When the economy is looking grim, it’s important to remember that there are marketing opportunities to be had.  That’s the lesson shared by Braehead Shopping Centre in Glasgow, UK.

The shopping center is enchanting shoppers with its new promotion: the Braehead Fairy Godmother. Every day between October 30th and December 6th, she’ll be giving away a £500 gift card to one lucky shopper. That should help take the edge off a shopping trip this season.

And as if that weren’t enough, Braehead will also be giving away one very special prize: free shopping for a year. The lucky winner will receive £1000 in Braehead gift cards every month in 2009.

This promotion is sure to improve foot traffic this holiday season. It’s so cheerful and lighthearted – who could resist?