Reeling Them In
Nov 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Patricia L. Kirk
Glimcher Realty Trust, a Columbus, Ohio-based REIT, is also making use of Internet marketing tools this year. In fact, the firm has replaced entirely its traditional direct mail with e-mail, according to Jill Clark, director of marketing. “Traditional direct mail is very expensive, and it's just as efficient to go electronic,” Clark says.
Glimcher is using e-mail to inform shoppers about replacement of the company's traditional holiday coupon book with a retailer discount card and brochure. Individual property Web sites provide the most up-to-date versions of the discount brochure and copy of the discount card, which customers can download and print.
At Macerich Co., the firm's marketing staff is focused on building the company's e-mail database to launch a holiday marketing campaign, says Susan Valentine, vice president of Consumer Experience at the Santa Monica, Calif.-based owner and developer. “E-mail is the most cost-efficient way to expedite retailer promotions and support our own marketing program,” Valentine says. The company has planned several e-mail blasts during the holidays, which will be supplemented with traditional media buys.
Opus West used traditional media buys in conjunction with electronic media to announce the opening of the Hill Country Galleria town center development in Bees Cave near Austin, Texas, in mid-October, but will limit e-mails to people who signed up to receive updates about the center, notes Joel DeSpain, vice president of real estate for Opus West.
In mid-November, Opus will shift its marketing efforts into a holiday mode, with the lineup of entertainment and children's activities planned leading up to Christmas posted on the property's Web site.
Yet another firm going the e-mail route is Columbus, Ohio-based Continental Real Estate. But they worry about oversaturating their customers, according to David Brudy, CEO for DRB Group LLC, which consults Continental. The firm will limit e-mail blasts during the holidays, because “anything more than twice a month feels like spam, and people will block us,” he says.
DRB will also supplement electronic communications with a combination of media buys targeting women ages 24 to 54. Ads convey a consistent message that Continental lifestyle centers provide a superior shopping experience.
“When making a choice about where women shop, we want to be in the top three,” says Brudy, noting marketing messages will focus on safety, the pleasant environment, unique gift offerings and opportunities to combine shopping trips with entertainment.
Going to bat for apparel
Macerich is focusing its marketing efforts this year on directly helping apparel retailers increase sales. “The Life of Style” campaign will highlight items that represent holiday traditions, providing advice like “where to find that fabulous little black dress for holiday parties or child's tutu for a holiday production of Swan Lake,” says Valentine. Corporate is providing on-site marketing professionals a template and access to photo libraries, so they can tailor promotions to their property's own tenants.
The company will also launch its annual www.santatrackingstation.com November 1 linked to North American Aerospace Defense Command's Santa Tracking program, which keeps children informed about Santa's progress on Christmas Eve. The Web site will promote Santa Tracking Stations at Macerich malls, which feature an interactive world map to teach children geography based on Santa's delivery route.
Caruso Affiliated is also launching an Internet advertising initiative to promote holiday shopping at its Grove project in Los Angeles. This new Internet outreach effort involves placement of ads on 50 Web sites to reach the Grove's diverse shopper demographics, says Jennifer Gordon, vice president at Los Angeles-based Caruso.
Customers presenting the Internet promotion will receive free valet parking, as well as 25 percent off at Barneys New York Co-Op if they spend at least $250 in one day at the property.
Caruso will also use the Internet to market events and entertainment throughout the holiday season, including a tree-lighting show featuring celebrity entertainment and a fireworks display that last year attracted more than 30,000 spectators. Gordon sees this new advertising strategy as a test for Internet marketing's ability to reach the property's targeted demographic.
“Many premier retailers are placing more of their ad dollars into Internet programs, indicating that this medium is now reaching a broader, sophisticated consumer audience,” Gordon notes. “This level of outreach is a new initiative for the Grove, and we will closely monitor the results.”
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