Marketing & Promotions
Appearances of Hong Kong movie superstars, Jackie Chan and Daniel Wu, at Plaza Singapura
Portfolio-wide Activities
Despite the recession in 2009, we continued to invest in strategic group-level marketing campaigns to drive shopper traffic and sales to tenants at CMT's malls.
The membership base of CapitaCard, a credit and debit card loyalty programme that aims to retain and encourage repeat shopper spending at CMT's malls, has grown significantly to over 142,000 cardmembers as at 31 December 2009. The CapitaCard programme saw an 11.5% year-on-year increase in card spend to S$180.9 million in 2009. This programme not only provides cardmembers with instant cash rebates, but also offers a host of exclusive treats in CMT's malls such as complimentary parking, as well as access to priority queues and special previews during tenants' sales.
The CapitaGift Card programme also offers convenience for shoppers who want to have the flexibility to choose their own gifts. The Card is a disposable prepaid stored value VISA card which allows shoppers to credit amounts ranging from S$20 to S$999, and can be used at any local retailer who accepts VISA. Other than the standard CapitaGift Card, a variety of 'Limited Edition' designed CapitaGift Cards have also been launched as collectibles. In 2009, a 179.0% year-on-year increase in sales of CapitaGift Cards was achieved.
Another key loyalty programme is the CapitaVoucher, which helps to generate sales for CMT's tenants. CapitaVoucher is positioned as the perfect gift for all occasions as it is widely accepted at over 1,500 participating stores across 12 of CMT's malls and two of CapitaMalls Asia's malls. In 2009, sales of CapitaVouchers achieved a year-on-year growth of 7.7% to S$13.4 million.
In September 2009, shoppers also sampled a culinary spread of exquisite mooncakes and tea during the annual 'Mid Autumn Fair' held at eight of CMT's malls. The fair featured more than 100 kiosk tenants, garnering a total of S$3.8 million in gross sales over two weeks.
Mall-centred Activities
In addition to our portfolio-wide marketing efforts, each CMT mall also cultivates its unique positioning and brand identity by creating memorable brand experiences for consumers through their own promotional activities.
Plaza Singapura
During the year, celebrity casts from the movies 'Shinjuku', 'The Storm Warriors' and 'The Treasure Hunters' made special appearances at Plaza Singapura. The presence of superstars Jackie Chan, Daniel Wu and Aaron Kwok, created much excitement among shoppers and movie fans.
Plaza Singapura worked with two school publications, 'Little Red Dot' and 'Thumbs Up', to host a talent competition for primary school students aged nine to 12 years. The competition featured a wide variety of performances, including singing, dancing, guitar-playing, wushu martial arts and gymnastics. The event received a strong response, with participants from a total of 30 primary schools. Shopper traffic on the day of the event rose by 12.1%, compared to the same day the year before.
'In Living Colours' fashion show at Bugis Junction
Bugis Junction
Bugis Junction held a four-day 'In Living Colours' fashion campaign, which featured fashion shows, make-up demonstrations and the grand finals of its iconic 'Code JEANius' event. The grand finals saw contestants transforming used jeans into new denim creations on the spot. Shoppers who spent during this campaign stood a chance to win the top prize of a trip to Hollywood for a behind-the-scenes look at how the Academy Award-winning Amalgamated Dynamics Studios created the character effects of the movie 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine'.
For the third consecutive year, Bugis Junction partnered its tenants, Goldheart Jewelry and Shaw Cinema, to organise a search for Singapore's most glamourous couple in conjunction with Valentine's Day. Romance was in the air as the audience watched six shortlisted couples vie for the title of 'Goldheart Glam Couple 2009'.
Raffles City Singapore
Arts programming is an integral part of Raffles City Singapore's (RCS) marketing mix. The mall holds regular concerts and community interactive arts events as part of its 'Arts In The City' programme. In 2009, RCS partnered the National Arts Council to showcase the Singapore Writers Festival, Singapore Art Show as well as youth bands from NOISE Singapore. In an inaugural collaboration with Esplanade's 'Dan:s Festival', shoppers in RCS were presented with a pleasant surprise in the form of flash mob dances within the mall which garnered extensive television coverage of the performances.
RCS also participated in the iconic Great Singapore Sale (GSS) and partnered with MasterCard and SilkAir/Tradewinds for the first time to present a host of super buys, attractive voucher giveaways and luxurious holiday getaways. 'Retail Therapy by Moonlight', a Friday late-night shopping event held in conjunction with GSS for the fifth year running, saw a 10.8% increase in footfall compared to the average Friday traffic in 2009.
Funan DigitaLife Mall
In line with its positioning as Singapore's leading gaming and information technology (IT) destination, Funan supported an exclusive launch of Microsoft Windows 7 software at the store of its key tenant, Challenger. Although the launch was scheduled to start at midnight, many enthusiastic fans of Windows 7 had already started to form long queues at the store in the afternoon. Shoppers also took the opportunity to snap up numerous IT products at promotional prices during the launch event.
Rivervale Mall
Rivervale Mall held a mall-wide party in November after completing asset enhancements to overhaul its look. During the party, special guests such as local television artistes Aunty Lucy and Anna Lin, kept shoppers entertained and shared with them the new shops at the mall.
Rivervale Mall also hosted the semi-finals of Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority's (AVA) first-ever 'Frozen Meat Culinary Challenge' which was held in collaboration with a radio station, 100.3FM. The event was also educational as it was part of AVA's drive to encourage more people to buy and cook frozen meat.
Special hour-buys and instant rebate promotions drew crowds at IMM Building
IMM Building
IMM Building (IMM) organised Singapore's first foam and bubble party in a mall, providing bubbly fun for children and their parents. Bubbles of all shapes and sizes were created by a foam cannon and giant bubble maker. Shoppers also participated in stage games and shows during the event.
IMM held a number of weekend promotions during the GSS. Multiple tenants participated in the mall-wide event by offering very exclusive and attractive hourly deals to shoppers. During the GSS, shoppers were also rewarded with instant rebates through CapitaVouchers and retailers' shopping vouchers when they shopped at IMM.
Shopper traffic increased by nearly 5.0% during the GSS, compared to the same period last year.
Tampines Mall
In collaboration with the Singapore Science Centre, Tampines Mall hosted an 'X-ploring Dino Trails' event. The activity-packed carnival featured stage shows and workshops to spark the imagination of children. Visitors also had the opportunity to view interactive 'prehistoric' exhibits, fossils and huge robotic dinosaurs, and get their hands dirty in fossil rubbing and casting workshops.
During the year-end school holidays, Tampines Mall held a month-long ice skating show and workshop at its open plaza area. The workshop was open to children aged six to 12 years and they were given a 45-minute basic introduction to ice skating. The workshop attracted many children and during the one-month period, the mall enjoyed a 8.4% growth in shopper traffic compared to the same period in the previous year.
Junction 8
Junction 8 organised two nights of shopping sprees in December when shops opened until 11 pm. Shoppers were attracted by a slew of attractive deals, instant reward promotions, a charity auction and a grand lucky draw. Children were also delighted by magical craft workshops, free candy floss and popcorn. The two-day event increased shopper traffic by 40.0%, compared to the same period in the previous year.
Junction 8 also hosted Singapore's first 'Calendar Babies' competition which attracted many baby participants and their proud parents.