A Santa for the Ladies
What do you do when your center’s demographics don’t really call for the traditional photos-with-Santa approach?
That’s the dilemma Village on the Parkway faced this year. It’s a lifestyle center that caters to a largely adult, urban population with a retail mix with more gyms, restaurants and nightclubs than shops. So it decided to spice things up a bit.
Enter “Sexy Santa and the Peppermint Patties.” You won’t find any bellies like bowls full of jelly here. The US shopping center held auditions for a sexy, young Santa to go shirtless for some racier, PG-13 pictures. The winning “Santa” won a $500 gift certificate to get his own Christmas shopping done, and $15/hour for the gig. Shoppers coming by the center after 6 PM on the weekends can pose with Santa or the attractive young ladies (the Peppermint Patties) at his side, starting at $15 per photo.
The stunt has picked up a lot of attention, including TV coverage from a local CBS affiliate. And while this might be a Santa photo more suited to a Facebook wall than a holiday card, it seems to be pretty popular with shoppers.
