While many retail campaigns elevate gifting as the ultimate expression of Valentine’s Day, one shopping centre made the strategic decision to place the focus back on the true essence of the day. In a campaign titled “Love is Love”, Sandton City featured four iconic couples, celebrating and sharing in the simplest universal pleasure: love.
From high school sweethearts to newlyweds, and from a chance encounter on social media to finding love the second time around, the light-hearted campaign is testament that love remains the strongest emotion that keeps people bonded and committed to one another, for no reason other than love itself.
To showcase this strategic storytelling, Sandton City collaborated with its “friends of the brand” to create digital content showcasing how unique each love story is. Brent Lindeque, (The Good Things Guy) and his partner Andrew Ross, Newlyweds JR and Tshepi Bogopa, (advocates of Joburg Pride), Kaye Alley and Nolene du Preez and 947 radio presenter Msizi James and his wife Angela, all shared their journeys, recounting how they had met, their favourite memories and their hilarious worst dates and gifts. The four couples also selected gifts from their favourite stores, that they would enjoy for themselves and their partners.
Love is Love campaign teaser, here
Brent Lindeque and Andrew Ross, here
JR and Tshepi Bogopa, here
Kaye Alley and Nolene du Preez, here
Msizi and Angela James, here
Additionally, Sandton City encouraged shoppers to celebrate their own love and share their unique stories on social media, (by tagging @sandtoncitymall and using #LoveStoriesSC) to stand a chance to win a R10,000 gift card. This competition is open until 28 February 2023.
“Knowing that our retail offering speaks for itself, we wanted do something fresh and execute a social media campaign that stepped outside the expected approach of spoiling loved ones this Valentine’s month, but rather one that would honour the essence of love, contemporary couples and their love stories,” said Heloise Mgcina, marketing executive, Liberty Two Degrees.
For more information and regular updates go to www.sandtoncity.com or follow the centre on social media @sandtoncitymall.
