Aug 18, 2009

Retail Property Owners Join the Social Networking CrazeBy Elaine MisonzhnikRetailTrafficMag.com

On a Wednesday night this July, the marketing staff for Scottsdale Fashion Square, a two-million-square-foot super regional mall in Scottsdale, Ariz., owned by the Macerich Co., updated the mall’s Facebook page with a few reminders to its 640 fans. There was a Nordstrom Anniversary Sale going on and shoppers could save up to 40 percent on their purchases. Customers throughout Macerich malls could also enter a $10,000 sweepstakes by registering at inspireyourstyle.com, a Macerich-run Web site complete with advice about fashion.

Among the news about Scottsdale Fashion Square and Macerich, the most curious post was about a couple named Kevin and Libby, who attended a premiere of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” that evening at the local movie theater. The post included photos of Kevin and Libby in line for movie tickets, at the concession stand and engrossed in the film. It revealed that “Kevin loves movie popcorn!” The catch? Kevin and Libby are plush mannequins.

Dreamed up by Macerich’s marketing folks this spring as a way to generate buzz for the opening of a new Barneys at Scottsdale Fashion Square, Kevin and Libby have become an amusing diversion for Scottsdale shoppers, who like to keep an eye out for sightings of the mannequins throughout the city, says Traci Weber, senior vice president of marketing with the Santa Monica, Calif.–based REIT. In recent weeks, Scottsdale Fashion Square’s “hottest couple” rode the downtown trolley, had margaritas during happy hour at Z’Tejas’ restaurant and attended a Saturday night Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game. In July, Libby even took a trip to New York, renting a suite at the W hotel, getting a tour of Barneys with the help of the store’s famed creative director Simon Doonan and experiencing authentic New York City cuisine with a pretzel from a street cart vendor.

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