2014 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Working with Seef Mall, we devised and executed a campaign that would help the mall target its core audience: Bahraini and Saudi families. The campaign was designed to help Seef Mall reconnect with its audience and at the same time, drive footfall to the mall and support tenants in the busy December period. With that in mind, we developed a talent competition for children aged between 5 and 13 years. The campaign focused heavily on reaching the target audience through an integrated communications program that included advertising, social media and at its heart, PR. The campaign overwhelmingly achieved its goals to the point where Seef Mall has installed Junior Superstars as a regular activity in its calendar. The campaign hit its main objective of connecting with the core audience and drove outstanding increases in footfall (27%) as well as revenue for the mall’s tenants (70% in some cases) and engagement (48% increase in followers on instagram).

The Brief

For Seef Mall the goal was simple; reconnect with its audience (expat and local families, especially Bahraini and Saudi families) and at the same time, drive footfall to the mall and support tenants in the busy December period. We targeted children first and foremost, as they were the key to bringing their parents, siblings, and other family members back to the mall.

Results

– Footfall in the mall increased during the grand final by 27% compared to the same date of the previous year. – Revenue increase was recorded at retail and F&B outlets compared to the same period in 2012. In some cases it was up 70%. – 232 talented youngsters registered for the talent show, far exceeding the target of 100 – Judge and music producer DJ Outlaw invited the competition winner, Chlea Marla, to record her first single in his recording studio – Social media – Followership on Instagram increased by a whopping 48% since the launch of the campaign, and the mall has the highest number of followers compared to the competition. – 100% positive media coverage with reports praising the campaign and highlighting Seef Mall’s role in promoting local talent.

Execution

We set out to engage with our audience through digital and traditional media, via regular updates on the mall’s social media accounts accompanied by almost daily media coverage. The campaign consisted of three phases; first was a two-week long registration phase, in which we invited eligible children to sign up. We set up registration booths in the busiest areas of the mall and targeted schools and after school clubs in order to reach the largest number of acts possible. In the second phase, registrants we invited to perform 90 second auditions in front of three celebrity judges who selected the top 30 performances. The contestants’ videos were uploaded on the mall’s instagram account and followers were able to vote for their favorite acts by liking the videos. For the grand finale we uploaded live updates on the mall’s social media account, including the moment the winner was announced.

The Situation

Seef Mall recently found itself in fierce competition with newer malls in Bahrain; ones which the young crowds found more appealing and hip. The mall struggled to attract crowds in the way it had previously and footfall numbers fell as shoppers went elsewhere.

The Strategy

We created a talent hunt for children in aged 5 to 13. To appeal to a larger crowd we opened the door to children of any nationality and (almost) any talent to participate as long as they fell in the right age category. A five week long aggressive campaign on social and traditional media ensured we reached out to our target audience and connect to them in a new and exciting way.