what we've done.

To bring shoppers into Market Mall, we created a surreal spring garden experience in the mall. Thankfully, no one suffered from surreal hay fever.

The Challenge

Market Mall, part of the Cadillac Fairview family, is a family-focused shopping centre located in the NW quadrant of Calgary and represents one of the dominant shopping centres in the region. ZGM was tasked with creating the first experiential marketing campaign in the Cadillac Fairview portfolio, and to steward a shift from external advertising to focus on more internal, experiential tactics. The campaign was also intended to help Market Mall combat the volatile economic situation that defined 2008/09.

The Solution

ZGM created the Avant Garden, a surreal garden built within the mall and based on three commissioned paintings by award-winning artist Karen Klassen. We worked closely with mall retailers to organically integrate their products into the garden and create fantastical elements such as purse trees and shoe nests. These elements were complimented by thousands of real flowers, which added bursts of colour and life that made a huge impact on guests as Calgary was in the grips of a long, cold spring. The blend of fun and fashion embodied the Market Mall brand and gave thousands of people the opportunity to experience it first-hand.

The Results

During what was widely considered to be the ‘low’ spot in the recession, Market Mall was the only Cadillac Fairview property to post increases in sales productivity over this time period compared to the year previous.

• A 16% increase in sales productivity from $848 per sq. ft. to $854 per sq. ft.
• Overall mall traffic during the campaign (April 10 – May 19, 2009) increased by 3.0%, with mid-week numbers increasing by 9.04% over this same period.
• The campaign artwork was featured in Applied Arts’ Illustration Annual.
• The Avant Garden generated thousands of equivalent advertising dollars through an extensive media relations campaign.

• What Else We've Done...