One, Two, Three, Pull!

Bluewater gives the traditional Christmas cracker a technology twist.

Crackers are probably as British as Christmas gets. After all, London sweet-maker Tim Smith did invent them in the mid-19th Century. No wonder Bluewater (Kent, UK) managed to convince 46,628 shoppers to pull its virtual cracker last holiday seas[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Fans for Hire

Social Media Campaigns, Technology Lab

France’s Alma Rennes shopping center helps local residents find work via Facebook. What have you done for your community lately?

Looking for work can be stressful, and entering the queue at a recruitment center darn right depressing. France’s Alma Rennes shopping center, however, has a different idea to connect the unemployed in its community with potential employers: i[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Digital Marketing & the Myths of the Walled Garden

Technology Lab, Technology News

Three myths might be preventing your shopping center from reaping the benefits of online marketing and e-commerce, ultimately limiting its profitability.

Too many shopping center marketers and developers have maintained a “walled-garden” mentality since the first enclosed mall was developed. This mindset views the shopping center as a separate ecosystem from the surrounding community retail. [...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

HTC Takes TV Ad Gamble

Technology Lab, Technology News

British actor Gary Oldman wants you to stop paying attention to slick ad copy and celebrity endorsements, and start listening to the Internet to form your own opinions about tech products.

Technology company HTC has imposed a gagging order of sorts on its star spokesperson, Gary Oldman. Most of what the famous British actor says in a TV commercial series that promotes the new HTC One (M8) smartphone is literally, “Blah, blah, bl[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Westfield Labs Incubating New Retail Concepts

Apps, Technology Lab

Digital storefronts for Sony, Rebecca Minkoff and TOMS pop up on Westfield San Francisco walls, while Dine on Time food-ordering app debuts on iTunes.

OFF THE WALL… If you’re looking to increase tenant revenue in a fully occupied shopping center, start leasing the walls. We aren’t talking about funky advertising placements, but operating stores. A year ago that would have seemed like [...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Millennials: The Challenge of Understanding a New Generation of Consumers

Technology Lab, Technology News

The attitudes and habits of the generation that has grown up accustomed to technology and the digital world demand new communication strategies from corporations.

The attitudes and habits of the generation that has grown up accustomed to technology and the digital world demand new communication strategies from corporations. They are the hyper-connected, avid consumers of digital content, as well as its[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Samsung, Paypal to Ditch Passwords for Fingerprints

Technology Lab, Technology News

Purchasing goods using the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphones now truly at shoppers’ fingertips, thanks to cloud-operated system to launch around the globe at the end of April.

Having shopping capability at one’s fingertips is about to become more than a figure of speech. Consumers with Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphones will soon be able to use fingerprint authentication to buy goods at PayPal merchants. Samsung recently[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Speed Dating for Fonts

Technology Lab, Technology News

Some fonts are a match made in heaven; others, not so much. Just ask Aura Seltzer.

Web designer Aura Seltzer’s Type Connection tool could speed up your next marketing collateral project. The online game allows you to test the compatibility of different fonts, just as two soul mate-searching singles would during a speed datin[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

All Sewn Up: Oakridge Centre, Langara College Seal B2B Deal

Social Media Campaigns, Technology Lab

Design Formation students given just three weeks to replicate designer dresses using such modest (and rather unusual) materials as coffee filters, pins, and packing tape.

They’ve been in the same neighborhood for years, but Oakridge Centre and Langara College have just crossed marketing paths for the first time. Having discovered a common interest in fashion and outreach programs, they collaborated on the Paper[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Slam Dunk: Oreo Makers, Tech Firm Pull Off Twitter PR Stunt

Social Media Campaigns, Technology Lab

People visiting SXSW “printed” their own custom Oreo cookies, while others use touchscreen vending machine to select and taste a dozen flavors created based on Twitter feeds.

Messing with a classic product used to be a marketing no-no, but consumers’ push for personalized experiences has changed all that. Snack food giant, Mondelēz International indulged visitors at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festiv[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...