ICSC’s Solal Marketing Awards showcase the best retail marketing across Europe and South Africa. This year's awards saw 164 entries from 22 countries. The winners were announced at ICSC’s Retail Innovation Forum, which connects retail real estate professionals who are at the forefront of shaping the future. The Gold Award winners are listed here by category.
Brand and Tenant Partnerships
'Life in a Box' — Rødovre (Denmark) Centrum
The shopping center worked with the Human Library organization on a multifaceted campaign through which visitors could "borrow" a "human book" from off a specially designed bookshelf — and chat with that person to learn about who they are rather than about any personal labels. Participants became involved with nearly 100 such "living titles" — including transgender individuals, abuse victims, religious minorities and people with mental-health issues — helping the former to challenge existing prejudices and fostering their acceptance of others.
'Life in a Box' — Rødovre (Denmark) Centrum
'Life in a Box' — Rødovre (Denmark) Centrum
Corporate Social Responsibility
'Katowicka for Autism' — Galeria Katowicka, in Katowice, Poland
The center offers designated shopping hours during which retailers will dim shop lights and music upon request, as well as a specially designed silence room employing subdued colors and lighting, comfortable furniture and a video intercom, all in support of visitors with autism spectrum disorder. Besides its ongoing public-awareness campaign, the center trains its staff and retailers to recognize shoppers who might require special support.
'Katowicka for Autism' — Galeria Katowicka, in Katowice, Poland
'Katowicka for Autism' — Galeria Katowicka, in Katowice, Poland
Public Relations
'The Perfect Summer Job' — Wijnegem (Belgium)
The Wijnegem shopping center's competition sought an ideal candidate to promote its tenants' summer collections on Instagram. In addition to a generous salary, the winner was given a shopping budget for purchasing the season’s must-have items.
'The Perfect Summer Job' — Wijnegem (Belgium)
'The Perfect Summer Job' — Wijnegem (Belgium)
Strategic Marketing Activation
'Area12 in A Day' — Area12 Shopping Centre, in Turin, Italy
Management invited visitors to post videos of their shopping experience to Instagram using a designated hashtag and then incorporated those entries into the world’s first Instamovie. The digital initiative, inspired by Ridley Scott’s Life in a Day YouTube video, produced nearly 500 distinct segments, drew some 1,600 new followers and reached about 100,000 users in a single day.
'Area12 in A Day' — Area12 Shopping Centre, in Turin, Italy
'Area12 in A Day' — Area12 Shopping Centre, in Turin, Italy
Tactical Activation
'Posnania Shopping Cardio Challenge' — Posnania, in Poznan, Poland
Posnania invited shoppers to keep their New Year’s resolutions involving physical exercise as they shopped. Videos of exercises to perform while shopping, in-center fitness events and live appearances by sports celebrities helped generate year-over-year increases of about 15 percent in both foot traffic and sales.
'Posnania Shopping Cardio Challenge' — Posnania, in Poznan, Poland
'Posnania Shopping Cardio Challenge' — Posnania, in Poznan, Poland
Learn more about ICSC’s awards and submit an entry here.
By Brannon Boswell
Executive Editor, Commerce + Communities Today
