SACSC Footprint Marketing Awards - Primedia wins six golds

29 Oct 2012

At the recent South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) Footprint Awards, Primedia Lifestyle Group won six of the ten gold awards. The awards recognise exceptional shopping centre marketing, innovation and creative achievements, together with economic success within the South African retail property sector.

Primedia Lifestyle Group MD, Doug Mayne

Besides the local judges, the panel for this year's awards included knowledgeable representatives from around the world. Each came from a country or region that has its own shopping centre awards, including the UK, US, UAE, Europe, Asia, Australia and South America.

Winning retail campaigns

Menlyn Park Shopping Centre and Gateway Theatre of Shopping, both marketed by Primedia Lifestyle, each gained two gold awards. Menlyn Park shone for its 'The Beach is Back 2011' and 'Gautrain Exposure Activation' campaigns. Gateway Theatre of Shopping excited judges with its 10th birthday celebration and 'Right Royal Affair'.

Others include Canal Walk's 'Giant Ice Slide' by Marketing Concepts; Musgrave Centre's 'Accentuate an Icon' by Primedia Lifestyle; Nelson Mandela Square's 'Find and Save the Rhino Treasure Hunt' by Duotone Marketing; Riverside Mall's 'Feast' by Primedia Lifestyle; Sandton City's 'Brand Launch' by Creative on Demand; and Mustard Seed's 'Super Smile - At Your Service' campaign at Westwood Mall.

Primedia power

Unlimited's shopping centre marketing specialist, Primedia Lifestyle also won six Silver and four Bronze awards.

Primedia Lifestyle Group MD, Doug Mayne says, "This is the first time that Marketing Services has won 60% of the gold Footprint awards on offer. Further evidence of the depth of our entries is that two of our gold award winners - Menlyn's The Beach is Back 2011 and Gateway's Right Royal Affair (Vodacom Durban July) promotion - are in their fourth year. This proves that these events are becoming successful brands in their own right."

The Beach is Back was originally conceptualised in 2009, at a time when the country was hard hit by the recession. As a result, the centre recognised the fact that shoppers could not afford their usual coastal holidays but still needed a break. The centre's other gold award was for its Gautrain Exposure activation.

In 2011, Gateway took its annual Vodacom Durban July promotion to the next level, by growing it from a typical fashion show into a day and night entertainment extravaganza supported by an integrated six week build-up campaign and massive entertainment offering - A Right Royal Affair.

Golden stories

Looking at the group's Gold award winners, it is clear to see that thinking out the box is a key element that sets these entries apart from many others. For example, Durban's Musgrave Centre Gold wins for its Accentuate and Icon campaigns.

The big idea behind the two campaigns was to ensure the longevity of the Musgrave Brand against the backdrop of a successful revamp of the centre. Many malls focus on a big "celebration" for their re-launch campaigns but the Musgrave Marketing team felt that a campaign that highlighted its tenant mix.

As a result, website stats rose from approximately 1 600 unique users per month to a monthly average of more than 7 500. Mall exhibition sales also rose dramatically from 34.9% in October to 72.2% in December and mall vacancies were reduced by 17%, indicating a renewed interest by retailers.

The second centre to win Gold was Nelspruit's Riverside Mall for its Riverside Feast entry. This leveraged off research findings that indicated that food was a key interest of a large number of the shoppers frequenting the mall. The clearest evidence of the campaign's success was the 13% increase in foot traffic during the campaign period while the PR target was exceeded by 54%, with R1 079 340 worth of publicity achieved.

The flagship Gateway Theatre of Shopping won big for its 10th Birthday Celebration. The marketing team ran campaigns to highlight the history of the centre, display accomplishments and celebrate the centre's milestone. As part of this, a competition was run offering a life-changing prize, never before given away by a shopping centre and an integrated campaign was conceptualised, utilising a 360-degree approach to advertising and communication.