Creating Memorable Branding Experiences
Northpoint Cromwell
Visual experiences in commercial environments, such as shopping centres, need to do more than just titillate: they must innovatively capture the spirit of the community and the space. It is only through these associations that a genuine connection can be made.
The Brief
A new boutique retail Centre offering in North Sydney, Northpoint Shopping Centre was looking for a way to promote its retailers and stimulate foot traffic and dwell time within the centre. Located on a prime corner block it features two distinct levels – general retailers (largely service-based) on the ground floor and the food retailers clustered in “Eat Street” on the second level. The building is a sophisticated and luxurious design that is in line with the Northpoint Tower corporate tenants, however, after opening in mid-2018, the retailers were struggling and requested action from Cromwell to boost the foot traffic in the Centre, in particular to the Ground Level.
The Execution
A targeted activation was a prime opportunity to generate some buzz and excitement in the lead up to Christmas, and also provided a way to test the market and provide solid data to formulate the future engagement strategy for both customers and retailers.
Shopping centre activation has hit a new level in the past five years. Driven by increased competition, improved retail mixes and a desire to occupy a singular position, Centres and brand experience agencies such as ENGAGE have sought to create integrated campaigns that contain a mixture of peak moments and always-on interactions.
ENGAGE designed the vibrant and interactive “13 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS” campaign for Northpoint, which consisted of 13 activation days from 28 November – 14 December. A custom designed “Pick-A-Present” display that invited shoppers who spent a certain amount to show their receipt in order to pick a present. Signage supported the promotion across the Centre and engaging promotional staff encouraged passing foot traffic to enter the Centre, make a purchase and take part in the giveaway.
In addition, every Pick-A-Present participant went into the draw to win a $1000 gift card to spend in the Centre which encouraged participation and was an opportunity to collect data on the shoppers. A PR campaign to support the promotion of the campaign and 3 social media influencers participated and promoted the campaign. As ENGAGE is a nimble agency, the team was able to identify that dropping the minimum spend to enter the Pick-A-Present competition from $20 to $10 would increase participation, and so half-way through the activation period this change was made.
Speciality Northpoint cookies and balloons delivered to key surrounding offices to encourage employees to visit the Centre and participate in the promotion
The Result
The retailers were very engaged and excited to be a part of the campaign and feedback demonstrated that they would like to do more in the future. The Pick-A-Present participation grew steadily over the 13 days, with a significant increase after entry was reduced to $10.
The data collected by the activation hosts was a valuable resource moving forward in regards to identifying current customers wants and needs. This data provided numerous insights that will enable ENGAGE to design a more targeted campaign moving forward to ensure maximised customer and retailer engagement.
