MARKETING plays a vital role in the success of shopping centres throughout the State as retailers battle to win a share of consumers’ shopping dollars.
The popularity of the major suburban shopping centres in Perth is the result of slick advertising campaigns and aggressive market-ing strategies.
The major shopping centres are very attractive clients in the local advertising industry, often providing unique creative opportunities and attractive annual marketing budgets.
Forrestfield Forum and Marketplace Shopping Centre has proved that successful shopping centre marketing is more about innovation than big budgets.
The centre was independently judged to be one of the winners at the Property Council of Australia’s 2001 WA Shopping Centre Marketing Awards last week.
Forrestfield Forum and Marketplace Shopping Centre manager Carol Leaver said the marketing campaign for the opening of the State’s first shopping centre branch of the Bendigo Community Bank achieved the objective of involving the local community.
“We don’t have a marketing manager and we only have a small budget, but we followed the Community Bank right through from when the concept was formed and invited the whole community to attend the centre,” Ms Leaver said.
With a budget of only $15,000, a pittance compared with the budgets many of the other shopping centres have at their disposal, Forrestfield Forum and Marketplace Shopping Centre developed a campaign to get the community involved in the launch of the bank.
Other shopping centres to pick up awards were Lakeside Joondalup Shopping City for its Lakeside Kids Club, and overall winner Westfield Galleria for the Drop Your Kids and Shop campaign.
