Get Rolling

Here is all you need to know to complete and submit a competitive entry for the 2005 Purple Apples
(Credits: BCSC Purple Apple Task Force)

THE PURPOSE
The primary purpose of the Purple Apple programme is to reward marketing and PR excellence for those working in shopping centres, town centres and other retail-focused destinations. The awards are also meant to recognise and reward best practise, communicate awareness of the need for effective marketing, and to help educate, train and develop marketers. Professionals eligible to vie for Purple Apple awards are responsible for providing bottom-line results to more than 1,500 shopping centres across the UK and Ireland, with a combined marketing spend estimated to be in excess of £60 million.

ELIGIBILITY
Submissions are open to advertising, marketing, PR and managing agencies/consultancies, as well as their clients. Entries must relate to a recognised shopping centre, town/city centre, retail park, outlet centre or other identifiable retail destination in the UK and Ireland. All work entered for the awards must have taken place during the period of 1st January 2003 to 30th September 2004. The entry registration deadline is 5 p.m., Friday 3rd December 2004. The entry closing date is 5 p.m., Friday 17th December 2004.

THE JUDGING PROCESS
The judging is a two-step process—first by the Purple Apple Task Force (PATF), then the judging panel. The PATF will review all entries to confirm eligibility and ensure they meet a minimum standard for judging.  PATF members will not review entries from their own companies, nor will they see entries where there is a possible conflict of interest.  The PATF may re-classify or re-categorise entries and may remove elements that do not meet entry requirements. Entries that differ substantially from the entry guidelines detailed herein will be disqualified without prior notice to the entrants.

THE SCORING
Each submission will be judged against pre-determined scoring criteria to ensure consistency of scoring across all entries. There are a total of 50 points to be won. The point requirements to win are 35 for a Purple Apple Merit and 40 for a Purple Apple.
Each judging sheet is validated. It eliminates the highest and the lowest scores, then averages the remaining numbers to calculate the entry’s final  score. In each category and size classification there is the potential for awarding Purple Apples and a number of Purple Apple Merits. 

THE REWARDS
• Purple Apple Awards
• Purple Apple Merits
• Purple Apple Pips (to nurture potential winners of the future)
• Purple Apple Overseas Trips
(travel to the MAXIs in October 2005 will be awarded to each of the five overall size classification winners)

THE JUDGES
The judging panel is made up of leading industry experts who will judge all submissions according to the official scoring criteria. The judges will not review entries from their own companies, nor will they see entries where there is a possible conflict of interest.  The 2005 judging panel includes: Kate Mason, marketing director, British Land Shopping Centre Portfolio (Jury Judge); Derek Johnson, creative director of Landor Associates, London; Ian Fisher, general manager of The Mall (Barnsley); Nancy Cullen, managing director of SpaceandPeople.com; Michelle Buxton, director of Toolbox Marketing and representative of TacticsUK; Sara O'Rorke, partner of Klein O’Rorke; Graham Parker, property editor for Retail Week; James Goodliffe,  regional estates manager London for The Boots Company; Don Hales, chairman of the National Customer Service Awards; and Beryl Emery, research consultant.

DISPELLING THE MYTHS
• Small centres can win. In the past six years, 61 entries have come from small centres (up to 200,000 square feet), and 18 of them, or 30 percent, were winners.
• Winning isn’t only a matter of budgets. Some shopping centres with very modest budgets have come out winners, including Eldon Garden Shopping Centre in Newcastle Upon Tyne (Community Relations - 44,000 sq. ft. - £908), The Belfry Shopping Centre in Redhill (Media Relations - 190,000 sq. ft. - £2,992) and Sterling Mills Designer Outlet Village in Tillicoultry (Best Single Piece of Creative Advertising - 86,000 sq. ft. - £28,550).

CATEGORY INFORMATION AND ADVICE
• STRATEGIC/OVERALL MARKETING
A campaign embracing all disciplines of the marketing mix (e.g. advertising, marketing, PR and sales promotion) and providing tangible evidence of measurable results. The campaign can be for an existing centre or to introduce a new, refurbished or expanding shopping centre or as a brand building activity.
• COMMUNITY RELATIONS
A single or ongoing event, programme or project addressing a specific community need or interest, rather than a commercial or centre goal. This campaign/activity may have enhanced the image or profile of the centre.
• CUSTOMER CARE
A category that comprises initiatives, campaigns or promotions which demonstrate improved levels of service, innovation, and/or standards within the centre. This may feature a change to build a commitment to a service culture within a centre, or individual customer focused initiatives.
• PARTNERSHIP MARKETING
Entries should demonstrate the value from commercialisation initiatives which have enhanced centre value, including sponsorships and alliances with brands and suppliers from external sources. Entries need to prove that alliances have increased marketing activity, enhanced value or improved the customer experience.
• BEST SINGLE EVENT
This category assesses event management skills. Entries should show the implementation of an on-site event and evidence of increased sales, footfall or brand awareness. The event may be a stand-alone project or part of an overall campaign. The judges will be looking for originality of idea, planning and implementation skills.
• PUBLIC/MEDIA RELATIONS
A public relations or media relations campaign demonstrating pro-active research, planning and implementation skills with tangible objectives and results. The objective of the initiative /event or programme in this category is to address a need of the shopping centre, not to respond to a community need.
• TOWN/CITY CENTRE MANAGEMENT
Entries are sought from either shopping centres or town/city centres that can show true partnership designed to promote the overall retail offer. Judges will be looking for entries which demonstrate mutually beneficial results that could not have been achieved without this relationship.
• BEST ADVERTISING
A category that features advertising campaigns which demonstrate effectiveness, originality, memorability, brand building and sustainability in creative work. This could relate to the use of an individual form of media (e.g. broadcast or print) run over a fixed campaign period or to meet an individual objective. Entries may be targeted at a consumer or trade audience.
• SALES PROMOTION
This category involves all tactical promotional activities that target the consumer. Aimed directly at stimulating specific and/or individual retail sales, and, ultimately, contributing to turnover and profitability. Entries should demonstrate direct linkage between the effort, call to action and quantifiable sales results.
• RETAIL PARTNERSHIP
This category includes activity designed to build effective partnerships with retailers within a centre. All activities are welcome from general communication to added value initiatives.  The judges will be looking for evidence of sustained relationship as opposed to a one-off event.

THE SIZE CLASSIFICATION
Each Purple Apple judging category is subdivided into five size classifications based on the total retail square footage. Within each entry categories, submissions are judged in size bands: 1. Up to 100,000 sq ft (10,750 m2); 2. Between 100,000 sq ft (10,750 m2) and 200,000 sq ft (21,500 m2); 3. Between 200,000 sq ft (21,500 m2) and 400,000 sq ft (43,000 m2); 4. Between 400,000 sq ft (43,000 m2) and 800,000 sq ft (86,000 m2); 5. Over 800,000 sq ft (86,000 m2).

TOP TIPS FOR ENTERING
1. Be a tough critic. Is your entry truly a Purple Apple contender?
2. Read 2005 Call for Entries. Ensure your activity matches the correct category.
3. Keep it simple and tell the truth—clearly and honestly!
4. Assume the judges know nothing about your centre or activity.
5. There is a team of mentors to help with your submission, so use them.(see contact information below)
6. Include budget detail and highlight how well it was spent.
7. Invest in good photography.
8. Supply material that is relevant and of good quality to enhance wallets.
9. Maximise the supplementary pages to showcase your entry.
10. Label everything clearly.
11. Check and order stationery as required. Remember to prepare a second replica entry to keep for your records.
12. If in doubt, just ask any member of the Purple Apple Task Force.

THE MENTORS
Don't forget to take the opportunity to send your submission to a mentor, prior to final entry submission.
The following individuals will be pleased to read completed entries. They’ll give second opinions or basic guidance for first-time entrants or those just wanting confirmation that their entry complies with the standards and content level expected. All are experienced marketers, previous winners or past judges.
Please note entries should be e-mailed allowing at least 14 days before the final entry date!
Mark these addresses:
• eileen.connolly@donaldsons.co.uk
• ron-woodman@capshop.co.uk
• alan_jones@lendlease.co.uk
• sean.kelly@halogenuk.com
• arollings@whiteleyvillage.com

THE COST
The fee per entry/centre (the first entry only), which includes a ticket to the Purple Apple Awards Dinner, is £175.00 (excl. VAT) for BCSC members and £225.00 (excl. VAT) for non BCSC members.  Fees for multiple entries are £80.00 (excl. VAT) for BCSC members and £125.00 (excl. VAT) for non BCSC members. 

THE TASK FORCE
• Sue Boor, marketing manager, The Mall at Cribbs Causeway, Bristol
Email: sue.boor@prupim.com
• Christina Grant, independent advisor
Email: christinagrant@btinternet.com  
• Deborah Owen-Ellis Clark, marketing director, Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth
Email: deborah.oec@gunwharf-quays.com
• Kirsty Crawford, marketing manager,  Queensgate Shopping Centre, Peterborough
Email: Kirsty.Crawford@eu.joneslanglasalle.com
• Melissa Wells, group marketing manager for Merseyway Shopping Centre in Stockport,  Observatory Shopping Centre and Queensmere Shopping Centre in Slough
Email: melissa@merseyway.com
• Bryony Parkin, marketing consultant, FPDSavills, London
Email: bparkin@fpdsavills.co.uk
• Cormac Hamilton, centre manager for Middleton Grange Shopping Centre, Hartlepool
Email: cormac@middleton-grange.co.uk    
• Mark Rumfitt, centre manager for the Guildhall Shopping Centre, Exeter
Email: mrumfitt@nelson-bakewell.com

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

UK winners will automatically compete in Europe at the International Council of Shopping Centres’ Solal Marketing Awards and, if successful, will enter the worldwide ICSC MAXI Awards.
For more information, visit the BCSC’s dedicated Purple Apple interactive website at www.bcsc.org.uk/purpleapples.

THE ALUMNI VOICE

These Purple Apple alumni know what it’s like to pour their hearts and soul into a marketing project, submit it for an award, and then simply wait. Lucky for them, they came out winners, which makes their counsel that much more valuable. Here’s what they had to say.

1. Clare Riley, The Potteries
The kudo: 2003 Purple Apple for Best Single Event.
The programme: A Big Brother type event that involved six people living in a Ford Galaxy for seven days. The person left in the car on the last day won a brand new Ford KA.
The strategy: Gathered all the results and analysis from the promotion, as well as comments and feedback from retailers. She then decided what information matched the requirements of the judges and then got writing.

2. Kit Harris, Meadowhall
The kudo: 2004 Purple Apple for Community Relations.
The programme: The Source at Meadowhall, a £5.5 million, three-thousand-square-foot centre providing state-of-the-art training facilities for all sectors of the local community and businesses.
The advice: The entry should tell a story, using a pathway of facts and creativity leading to suitable results. Participants should get feedback from outside parties who may have had varying degrees of involvement in a project, as well as from departmental managers. Entrants should also consider the best time to submit a programme. An innovative idea alone won’t cut it. Enough time is needed so that a programme’s results and benefits can be demonstrated.

3. Heather Scott, Dalton Park
The kudo: 2004 Purple Apple Merit for Opening/Refurbishment/Relaunch.
The programme: The opening of Dalton Park.
The advice: Be clear and concise, and focus on the facts. Participants should also get an external person to read the award entry to ensure that they, as people very close to the submitted projects, have not made any assumptions regarding other people’s knowledge [of their property or marketing initiatives].