Shopping Bound

Trains, planes and automobiles are taking tourists to retail destinations worldwide. Marketers are ready to greet them with open arms—and tills

People who like to travel also like to shop, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a tourism guide that doesn’t provide shopping centre and retail addresses that visitors can’t afford to miss. In that context, marketers of retail and entertainment destinations around the world are increasingly paying attention to out-of-town visitors, devising customer services, promotions, loyalty programmes and campaigns just for them. The following programmes are among the most effective tourism schemes around.

SeeAmerica.org
American destinations are getting a lot of visibility in the UK, thanks to a £3.2 million international tourism marketing campaign that the US government sponsored to entice travellers to visit. The US Department of Commerce has been working with several industry partners on this project, as well as with the Travel and Tourism Promotion Advisory Board, which is made up of 15 leaders of the travel and tourism industry.
As the UK is America’s largest oversees tourism market—more than four million visitors were expected to travel between the UK and America in 2004, generating nearly £6.4 billion for the American economy—a UK-focused campaign was developed to link two of the country’s strongest exports: tourism and entertainment.
Using the tagline “You’ve Seen the Films, Now Visit the Set,” the See America campaign leverages UK residents’ familiarity with American entertainment to communicate the diversity and scope of all that America has to offer.
Created by the Visit America Alliance and led by Edelman (Chicago, Illinois) and M&C Saatchi (London and Los Angeles, California) under the guidance of the US Department of Commerce, the campaign includes a strong Web component in the form of the SeeAmerica.org.uk site, which lists countless options from the shopping tourist. A Treasure Hunt Game-Movie Trivia Edition was also developed to test UK browsers’ knowledge of American movies and give them an opportunity to learn more about the country’s many points of interest. Those who play have a chance to win airfares for two from the UK to their favourite US destination. The campaign also comprises television, print, outdoor and radio advertising.
On the radio, for example, UK listeners were enticed to discover American shopping destinations that became famous on the big screen (e.g. Tiffany’s on New York City’s Fifth Avenue, thanks to the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard). Last autumn, Karen MacDonald, director of communications for tourism-savvy Taubman Centers, reportedly appeared on several British radio shows to talk up  American shopping centres and encourage UK shoppers to take advantage of the savings that their strong currency affords them in America.
See America backers say the UK market is appealing for their tourism industry, not only for the sheer number of existing and potential visitors from that area, but also because the UK has proven to be the most resilient of international markets following the events of 2001 (first 9/11 and then the SARS outbreak).
See America is the brand developed by the Travel Industry Association of America in partnership with more than 2,000 tourism organisations.
See America’s UK counterpart, Visit Britain, also has its own Website(www.VisitBritain.com), where travellers will find links to factory and discount designer outlets, as well as such out-of-town shopping destinations as Bluewater, Lakeside, Meadowhall, Merry Hill Shopping Centre and Metro Centre.

I Love… McArthurGlen
McArthurGlen has renewed its commitment to UK tourism this year. The chain of designer outlet centres produced an I Love… campaign to boost the number of visitors to each area in which it operates. McArthurGlen has asked local youth (under 16 years old) why they think their area is a great place to live, taking the programme on a regional roadshow to its seven outlets in the UK—from Ashford to Wales.
The messages, which participants could submit online, are displayed for a month, reaching an expected audience of more than one million people before an entry is chosen to win shopping vouchers.
As part of its tourism campaign, McArthurGlen has also built ties with hotels across the UK to encourage more people to holiday there. Among the initiatives, shoppers who spend £100 at one of the McArthurGlen centres will receive a special voucher book that entitles them to cut-price breaks at a choice of more than 180 partner hotels.

Mall of America Gift Store
There’s nothing that goes together with a travelling shopper more than the old-fashioned souvenir. That’s why Minnesota’s Mall of America, one of the nation’s top  retail and tourism destinations, operates its own branded gift store.
The boutique, whose aim is to turn customers into mobile marketing representatives, presents itself as the exclusive source for Mall of America, Explore Minnesota and Underwater World logo merchandise. The Mall of America Gift Store even has its dedicated mini-Website, where browsers will be able to find their souvenirs by clicking on a product department or by using a search engine. They can then email their orders to mallstores@mallofamericagifts.com or call the mall’s toll-free line.

SASI Tourism Programmes
If you’re looking for inspiration from other tourism-focused organisations, one good Website to peruse is ShopAmericaVIP.com, the Website of the Shop America Alliance (SAA). The Alliance represents hundreds of America’s premier shopping and dining destinations which offer tourism programmes for domestic and international travellers.
According to SAA, partners pay approximately £40 a week (only £6 weekly for such organisations as visitors bureaus, regional shopping alliances, downtown associations and the media) in return for the services of a dedicated tourism marketing firm focused exclusively on retail.
Among the 52 partner benefits the SAA lists online are PR media opportunities, tour operator databases, e-marketing, access to a tourism research library, pre-packaged Shop America tours, marketing partnerships, travel trade shows, continuing education as well as leadership and recognition. The latter includes the annual SASI Awards (Shop America Salutes Innovation), which recognise shopping tourism marketing excellence among SAA partners.

Taubman’s Fashion Translations
Taubman Centers values its UK customers and, for them, it has developed a lexicon of Fashion Translations as part of the many services it provides under its World Class Shopping programme. Here are a few of them:

From UK            To US
Anorak  Rain Slicker
Braces            Suspenders
Brolly            Umbrella
Bum-bag            Fanny-pack
Clobber Clothing
Dressing Gown            Bathrobe
Dungarees            Overalls
Frock    Dress
Hair Slides            Barrettes
Jumper  Sweater
Knickers            Underwear
Lippie    Lipstick
Nail Varnish            Nail Polish
Shopping Centre            Mall
Slap            Makeup/Cosmetics
Stilettos            High Heeled Shoes
Suspenders            Garters
Swimming Costume            Bathing Suit
Tights   Hosiery
Top       Blouse
Trainers            Sneakers
Trousers            Pants
Vest     T-shirt

Source: www.TaubmanWorldClassShopping.com.