Marketing Concepts wins Spectrum Award for shopping centre marketing

Marketing Concepts, marketers of Sandton City, won the 2016 Spectrum Award for Marketing, the country's top award for shopping centre marketing at last week's Footprint Marketing Awards at the 20th Annual Congress of the South African Council of Shopping Centres held at the Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday, 8 September.

The Sandton City team from Marketing Concepts earned the coveted Spectrum Award for the mall’s “Empty Shop”, which saw Sandton City give customers a unique way to donate clothing, accessories, toys and children’s books in good condition for a worthy cause.

What’s more, the same team won three of eight gold Footprint Marketing Awards to become the only shopping centre to receive multiple golds. The SACSC Footprint Marketing Awards recognise exceptional shopping centre marketing, innovation and creative achievements, together with measurable outcomes.

Marketing Concepts took gold for the Sandton City Empty Shop CSI initiative in the community relations category. It earned a second gilded trophy for Sandton City’s advertising of the Ecomobility Festival which took place in Sandton Central. Its third gold gong was for Sandton City’s Christmas Share the Joy campaign, in the sales, promotions and events category.

The Marketing Concepts team at Sandton City also won a Silver Footprint Marketing Award for its Puppy Love campaign, in the community relations category.

Kathryn Payton

Kathryn Payton, MD of Marketing Concepts, comments: “This is a fantastic result for a fantastic team. We are driven to create and deliver high-impact, transformative campaigns that produce strategic results for shopping centres and it is wonderful to be acknowledged for excellence by a respected body like the SACSC, especially because these awards are judged by local industry peers as well as international marketing luminaries.

"The success of any marketing initiative rests on sharing an authentic vision, purpose and voice. Sandton City’s owners, Liberty Group and Pareto Limited, and its managers, JHI Retail, really understand this. The powerful shared passion shines through in Sandton City’s marketing," she adds.

SACSC also points out its Footprint Marketing Awards are judged to a global standard and winners can stand proud with top shopping campaigns worldwide. Marketing Concepts’ trio of gold-winning campaigns will automatically be entered into the International Council of Shopping Centres’ Viva Awards, along with the other gold award winners. The global awards will be judged early in May 2017.

Marketing Concepts offers niche solutions in marketing and communications for shopping centres, the listed real estate sector, independent property owners, developers and managers.