In keeping with its tradition of recognizing and honoring the premier marketing, community outreach, sales promotion, NOI enhancement, and new media efforts within the U.S. retail real estate industry, the International Council of Shopping Centers awarded 40 shopping center developers within the continental U.S., the industry’s highest marketing honor – a U.S. MAXI Award. All winners represent the highest caliber of marketing excellence and exemplify collaboration, execution and achievement within the retail real estate industry.
Awards were presented during the annual RECon Convention, May 17 at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.
CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. was awarded three gold and two silver awards at the event. One local CBL employee won a gold and silver award in the traditional marketing classification. Shannon Gonzalez, CMD, director of advertising and creative services won gold for the company’s 2014 “MORE” campaign in the advertising category. This was the only gold awarded in the advertising category. In conjunction with KMT Creative, a Chattanooga based agency, a campaign using kinetic text was created to cut production expenses and increase media buys with an expanded number of spots.
Ms. Gonzalez was also awarded silver in the events or sales promotion category for the company’s Instant Holiday Deals Online program. The promotion communicated the shopping center’s holiday deals through both traditional and digital elements. The digital direction proved to be hugely successful as website traffic increased by 20% and the program garnered over 2.8 million digital impressions on consumer social media feeds using the campaign hashtag, “#ElfieSelfie”.
In addition to the awards above, CBL also won gold awards in the cause marketing category for Traingle Town Center, Hanes Mall, and Cross Creek Mall for Heartfelt Hero Salute; silver awarded to Acadiana Mall for their Dreams Come True Fashion Show; and gold to the St. Louis region in public relations for their Back-to-School Denim Drive promotion.
Representing and accepting the awards for CBL in Las Vegas were Mary Lynn Morse, senior director of marketing; Shannon Gonzalez, director of advertising and creative services; and Brenda McNeeley, director of field marketing.