It was a perfect opening to the World Cup. Fans packed into the 3,000-seat Platz der Guten Hoffnung (Good Hopes Place) at CentrO in Oberhausen, Germany, to witness the home team register a convincing 4-2 victory over Costa Rica on 9th June, despite the absence of its high-profile midfielder and team captain, Michael Ballack. The crowd cheered and reveled in the camaraderie as it watched the action unfold on a 20-square-metre LED screen.
It wasn’t exactly like being in the Munich stadium that day, but it was close enough—and it was free. CentrO marketing manager Frank Pöstges and his team intend to keep the energy levels high and tills ringing loudly during all of the tournament’s 64 games, with the Platz der Guten Hoffnung forming the core of a comprehensive promotional campaign.
Welcoming the World is the motto keeping CentrO’s marketing initiatives focused on not only local shoppers, but also on visitors from far beyond the border of the Ruhr. And there, under a state-of-the-art roof providing a shady and dry viewing experience, CentrO visitors will participate in the NRWM festival, an initiative of the regional administration in cooperation with 13 cities in North-Rhine Westphalia.
Football fever will warm up the fans, creating the perfect public for the international music acts who will perform at CentrO for 12 days during the festival—acts come from the different countries participating in the World Cup.
On other days, street artists, marching bands and cabaret groups will entertain the audience, while the 25 restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs and discotheques who line CentrO’s 400-metre Promenade will provide sustenance and additional viewing spots during the games.
"We [place] great importance on the international character of this event," Pöstges notes. "For the period, we expect several hundreds of thousands of foreign guests from countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland and Poland."
Taking advantage of a legal liberalisation of opening hours in Germany during the World Cup, CentrO’s more than 200 stores have adjusted their hours to international standards. Monday to Saturday, they’ll be open from 10am to 10pm, and on Sundays from 2pm until 8pm. The centre was even open on 15th June, the Corpus Christi holiday, but will be closed on 2nd July, as there will be no games that day.
With longer hours, shoppers will have time to browse the stores and take in a theme attraction, the Adidas Fanshop, which planned to operate from 17th May until 25th June.
CentrO generated excitement for its World Cup programme with a three-step communications strategy. The first step comprised of international PR and tourism activities in cooperation with the GNTB (German National Tourism Boards) offices of the European countries. CentrO also developed its own World Cup logo to support its Welcoming the World motto and specific World Cup spirit.
The second step was to highlight the new opening hours and public viewing venue with the launch of a 2,000-square-metre mega blow-up on the Gasometer, a local city landmark that is in CentrO’s immediate vicinity and offers great exposure because of its position next to the A42 motorway. This was followed by more traditional advertising flights, including print, video billboards, outdoor, radio and indoor.
Finally, CentrO incorporated the World Cup into its loyalty programme, inviting CentrO Club members to participate in a sweepstakes to win tickets for a VIP viewing area.
While CentrO’s plan was elaborate by any shopping centre marketing standard, its main strategy was simple: take an event that is highly publicised and generates ongoing interest from the public, and build a month-long campaign around it. It’s a strategy that can be used whenever people around the world stop bustling around long enough to share an experience that is at times highly emotional and renders consumers more open to engage in activities—even commercial ones—that will make them feel a part of the magic.
The Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, Wimbledon, the Tour de France, Formula 1 Grand Prix, the golf Masters, World Championship Rugby—all of these events, and many others like them, can serve as inspiration.
Like CentrO, thecentre:mk in Milton Keynes, UK, jumped on the World Cup bandwagon, plunging its customers in football nostalgia with 1966 v 2006, a campaign that commemorates England’s legendary win over Germany at the final game in Wembley some 40 years ago, while giving today’s fans entertaining times at the centre.
World Cup viewing on a giant screen, special stalls selling football merchandise, toys, games and tasty bites, as well as Sports Arts and MK Dons Skills Workshops for those who wish to bend it like Beckham, or Ballack or Zidane, are all included in the offering.
Thecentre:mk even teamed up with Pizza Hut and Rajdhani to offer visitors a pizza and Indian food delivery service. Fans place their orders at the takeaway food booth and the centre handles the rest.
Not a football fan? No problem, thecentre:mk’s marketing team tells shoppers. Hang in there because there will be more entertainment coming their way this summer, including the Wimbledon Championships and even Trooping the Colour.
MetroCentre admits that it’s gone football crazy as well, opening a fully-licensed World Cup Lounge for the occasion on the first floor of its Metro Food Court, while making sure that retail tenants keep their TV screens tuned into the matches.
Then there are World Cup Wednesdays, giving visitors an opportunity to hone their sports skills, and meet-and-greet sessions with English football legends such as goalkeeper Peter Shilton and ex-Newcastle United hero Peter Beardsley.
Despite the footie focus, MetroCentre didn’t forget about shoppers who wish they could wake up from this recurring World Cup nightmare. Assuming more women than men would fall into that category of less than enthusiastic bystanders, MetroCentre will host Footballer’s Wives Fashion Shows and beauty events on 5th July to prove that it is still a destination for fashion. The first 250 ticket holders for that event will receive a free Debenhams goodie bag, five of which will contain a £100 (€145) gift certificate.
London’s Brent Cross shopping centre has bet even more money on football fever and Team England—a whopping £1 million (€1.45 million).
Just days before the 9th June kick-off, the centre announced that it was prepared to pay out the £1 million to one lucky shopper if England triumphs over its German nemesis in the 2006 competitions.
"Given our past history of playing the Germans on penalties, and a revitalised England football team seeking retribution, those who enter the Win a Million competition should feel quite confident," said Norman Black, head of marketing at Brent Cross.
But first, participants will need to visit the centre’s promotional stand to enter the contest, before taking in other football-related events, like a Design your own Football Shirt workshop for kids, weekend quizzes with penalty shoot outs to win gift cheques and Footballers’ Wives ‘Locker Rooms’ where massage table and other pampering services await World Cup –weary visitors.
The football craze is by no means just a European retail phenomenon. Even in Canada, a country that isn’t playing in the tournament, shopping centres are getting caught up in the football wave.
With resident fans, many of whose origins are linked to football’s superpowers, retail destinations like Coquitlam Centre in British Columbia are getting into the spirit.
Coquitlam Centre didn’t just set up a screen and a few chair for public viewing of the games, it installed bleacher seating for 100, Astroturf carpeting and site décor befitting a world-class event, right in its common area.
"By partnering with Sony Canada and Home Depot, we were able to create what we believe is one of the most innovative World Cup viewing lounges in the Lower Mainland," said Darell Denton, the centre’s marketing director.
Back in CentrO’s Platz der Guten Hoffnung, fans are crossing their fingers for a fairytale ending on 9th July. Whether or not their wish is granted remains to be seen. For Centro, the World Cup is already producing the goods—bottoms in the seats, shoppers in the stores and money in the tills.

Making the Draw

International sporting events are attractive platforms on which to build shopping centre marketing programmes., but you have to know the rules of the game.
As marketers, you must beware how you use elements such as Games Marks, which are all the names, phrases. marks, logos and designs related to he Olympic and Paralympic Movements. These are officially owned and licensed by each Game host city team—from Olympic rings to specific Game logos.
Your best bet is to check the Website of each one for information on how to go about linking up to the events legally.
Here are a few links to get you started:
• International Olympic Committee (IOC): www.Olympic.org
• Olympic Games and Olympic Winter Games:
www.Beijing2008.com • www.Vancouver2010.com • www.London2012com
• Commonwealth Games: www.TheCGF.com (federation) and www.CWGDelhi2010.com
• Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA): www.FIFA.com
• World Cup: www.WorldCup2010SouthAfrica.com
• International World Games Association: www.WorldGames-IWGA.org

Kick-off Calendar

Here are a few international sporting events to mark on your calendar:
• Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing, China, 8th-24th August 2008
• Beijing 2008 Paralympiad Beijing, China, 6th-17th September 2008
• Commonwealth Youth Games Pune, India, 5th-11th October 2008
• XXI Olympic Winter Games Vancouver, Canada, 12th-28th February 2010
• Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games Vancouver, Canada, 12th-21st March 2010
• World Cup 2010 South Africa, dates TBA
• Commonwealth Games New Delhi, India, 3rd-14th October 2010
• Games of the XXX Olympiad London, UK, 27th July-12th August 2012
• London 2012 Paralympiad London, UK, dates TBA