BCSC - Retail General - Purple Apple Marketing Awards
Date: 25 Jul 2002
A unified strategic marketing plan with specific achievable targets will increasingly differentiate the successful shopping centres and retail destinations from their competitors, according to one of the country’s leading shopping centre marketing executives.
Kate Mason, Marketing Manager for Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield, was addressing centre owners and marketing managers at a BCSC (the retail property organisation) seminar to launch Purple Apple marketing awards for 2003. The awards, now in their tenth year, are being expanded this year with new judging categories and size bands covering 12 categories of marketing, PR and advertising efforts. Submissions for the Purple Apples, which are endorsed by The Marketing Society, must be made by the end of November 2002.
Mason’s marketing efforts at Meadowhall have seen the centre win a clutch of major marketing awards including a Purple Apple for Best Overall Marketing Campaign in 2001. Mason, who will be a judge for the forthcoming awards commented:
“The Purple Apple awards are helping retail property owners realise the significant business benefits that strategic marketing can bring to shopping centre performance. Gradually companies are realising that the investment of resources in effective marketing planning, delivery and evaluation can bring about marked improvements in the bottom line. These awards recognise the impressive efforts already being made and will hopefully stimulate further innovation in the future.”
Mason joins David Riddiford, Buying & Merchandising Director of Selfridges; Iestyn Roberts, former commercial director for BAA McArthur Glen representing The Marketing Society; Cyril Gates, Executive Director of the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals; Andrew Rollings, Retail Director of Whiteley Village and Sean Kelly, Account Director at property PR and marketing firm Halogen on the judging panel. The awards will be presented at BCSC’s Centre Management Conference in Manchester from 3-5 February 2003.
The Purple Apple awards are sponsored by a host of leading property and support companies including British Land, Experian, Footfall, Grosvenor, Jones Lang LaSalle, Land Securities, Slough Estates, The Mall Corporation and Workman & Partners.
Entries can be submitted by developers, centre managers, marketing managers, town centre managers or agencies providing marketing services to the 1,500 plus shopping centres, outlet centres, retail parks and identifiable retail destinations in the UK.
Adds Christina Rowe, marketing manager of thecentre:mk and a member of the organising committee for the Purple Apple awards:
“Marketing should be respected as an investment. These awards recognise the contribution that marketing makes to the success of a scheme in an industry that is still waking up to its potential. Advertising, marketing and PR campaigns that attract, differentiate and deliver in the retail property industry deserve acclaim.”
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