Marketing isn't everything

A building's interesting architecture, renting space, known tenants - all these shape a shopping centre's success. Branding, that is creating one's own brand, is no less essential and, some claim, even more important - about which centre owners and managers operating in Poland have already become fully convinced. A strong brand permits a centre's unique identity to be created on a competitive market which means it becomes a customer automatic and sole choice and also improves the centre's value in his eyes and those of a tenant and investor. "Currently it is impossible to differentiate your centre from your competition through an offer alone" stresses Sara O'Rorke of Klein O'Rorke of London which specialises in such matters as branding, marketing and communications. Anne Duggan, a consultant dealing in marketing shopping centres warns: "Much can be done to attract people to a shopping centre, make them spend time there together with more money, though still not creating a known and recognised brand. And that is no guarantee of success for such an object.

Time for re-branding

Even when a shopping centre already boasts a strong and established brand, that does not mean cooperation between centre owners and their managers with marketing specialists has come to an end. Cases do appear in which re-branding should be given a thought. Sara O'Rorke thinks re-branding could be useful in the following cases:

- to maintain centre's position of strength/leader within the market and to create strength of recognition

- consumer demographics are changing in terms of wants, needs and aspirations

- direct competition is on the increase

Sara O'Rorke remarks: "I have heard centre owners saying 'our centre is not doing well, so let's re-brand', but re-branding is not just a quick fix, new name and a new identity. It is a combination of many things that follow a clear-cut strategy and are delivered consistently and creatively throughout the scheme from day one". Anne Duggan comments: "Changing the brand without parallel activities may impact negatively on the object's activities. Customers could start thinking that what the centre offers has also changed diametrically, while people prefer that which they know and like. They reject what they don't know".

Hold on to a customer!

But re-branding may, on its own, not be good for what the centre wants to achieve. That happens, for instance, when the strategy is badly elaborated, there is an absence of a cohesive will and purpose for re-branding. Sometimes re-branding has come too late or insufficient means were employed to do it. Sara O'Rorke stresses: "Every shopping centre owner/manager or retailer knows that once we loses a customer it is twice as hard to get him or her back. So one of the key issues in a re-branding programme is being able to maintain your existing customer base throughout the re-branding process as well as winning new consumers once it is completed. Therefore it is important that they be kept informed and inspired at all times".

Tasks for all

Assuming that a brand's shortcomings and advantages are known and also the reasons for re-branding, several questions must be answered before the process begins, also by talking with the centre's customers:

- what is the reason behind the re-branding since it may require repositioning?

- what are the long-term strategic issues/goals?

- who will the target audience/consumer be?

- do any fundamental problems exist within the existing schemes which need to be resolved, i.e accessibility, parking, retail mix, F&B ratio, customer services?

- are there any negative perceptions, e.g. location of centre?

It is also important that each participant in the process is fully acquainted with his role. According to Sara O'Rorke, the owners' role is to ensure the re-branding is in line with the long-term objectives for their property's portfolio and coexists with the parent brand. The role of the property manager is to ensure re-branding is delivered on a day-to-day basis within and outside the scheme in a consistent manner through both operations and marketing. The role of marketing consultants is to deliver the brand to the customer again in a consistent manner.

Exclusively bespoke re-branding

Sara O'Rorke declares: "There is no universal re-branding strategy which can be applied in every shopping centre. Each case is different and therefore requires separate resolving. Frequently, a change in tenant mix and how the centre looks, is needed within these solutions, apart from the re-branding. These innovations should be communicated in an appropriate manner employing classical methods of communication: PR (for building up interest, especially during the actual re-branding process), advertising pre- and post-launch (to inspire and inform) and also on-going events to draw the customer into the centre to experience something different. But re-branding is not and should never be just about marketing. Marketing is only the vehicle to convey that a change has occurred. Otherwise it would be like receiving an attractively wrapped pair of dirty old socks".