CASE STUDY: WIFI LAUNCH CAMPAIGN AT KENILWORTH CENTRE
Scope: Campaign Strategy, Design, PR, Execution & Reporting
Overview
As part of its continuous drive to offer customers the best possible shopping experience, Kenilworth Centre (affectionately known by its shoppers as KC) introduced free Wi-Fi in December 2018.
In an unprecedented move, Redefine Properties, chose to give customers uncapped internet for three hours daily. Signing-up for the free Wi-Fi was a seamless experience for consumers. In an effort to generate greater awareness, in-centre signage was used strategically, along with brand ambassadors, to ensure that customers who entered the centre were aware of KC’s free Wi-Fi.
The Centre ran a competition to promote the free Wi-fi and extend dwell time by rewarding customers who were online for more than 90 minutes with an iced latte and doughnut from Dunkin’ Donuts.
PROJECT DETAILS
Client: Kenilworth Centre / Redefine Properties
Campaign Commencement: 1 December 2018
Campaign Conclusion: 1 January 2019
Target: 10 000 users – which was exceeded
Artwork: The Blue Room
Campaign Coordinator & Executor: Andreana Holmes, The Blue Room
Marketing Objectives & Strategy
1. Extend the stay | Incentivize the increase of dwell time by offering customers who signed in for 90 minutes the chance to receive a free doughnut and iced latte, co-sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts
2. Break the fourth wall | customers received a personalised SMS to redeem their free Dunkin’ Donuts voucher
3. Likes to reach new heights | increase website traffic; and engagement and reach on Facebook
4. Connect with customers | register more than 10 000 people for KC’s free Wi-Fi, translating into 10 000 people for the marketing database
Implementation & Tactics
KC’s free Wi-Fi launched on 1 December 2018. The Centre’s launch campaign and festive season campaign were packaged into one. With cleverly designed artwork and copy, Kenilworth Centre’s free gift to customers, i.e free Wi-Fi, was showcased throughout the Centre. The in-house collateral also clearly stated that the KC free Wi-Fi is a permanent offering to customers in the Centre, which extended beyond the festive season.
On the day of the Wi-Fi launch on 1 December, and 24 consecutive days thereafter, brand ambassadors dressed in branded t-shirts and as elves, tying in with the festive season theme, were positioned at entrances and in-centre activation areas to encourage and assist customers to sign-up for KC’s free Wi-Fi. The brand ambassadors presented customers with directional flyers, as well as branded Christmas marshmallow eggs.
When signing in to KC’s free Wi-Fi, customers’ names, surnames and mobile numbers were collected. If the customer was one of the first 100 people per day logged in for 90 minutes (increasing dwell time) over the launch period, they received a personalised SMS inviting them to claim their free treat from Dunkin’ Donuts.
– Branded contra-vision was applied to all entrances, advertising the free Wi-Fi
– Posters and rolla banners were displayed throughout the Centre
– The customer service desk was branded with perspex signage
– The escalator doors were branded
– Teaser posts and cover artwork were designed and posted on Facebook, Instagram and the Centre’s website
– KC’s Guest Relations Officers wore branded sashes motivating customers to ‘ask me about free Wi-Fi’
– Placement of a Half page newspaper advert in People’s Post
Impact & Results
WE EXTENDED THE STAY
According to the last KC research study conducted in 2017, the average dwell time is 72 minutes.
The free Wi-Fi campaign encouraged an additional dwell time of 58 minutes per customer. This time was often spent in one of KC’s restaurants, coffee shops or in the food court where customers enjoyed a coffee or meal while logging on and using the free Wi-Fi. This excludes time spent doing general shopping.
BREAK THE FOURTH WALL
The first 100 customers logged on for 90 minutes every day (increasing dwell time), received a personalised SMS with a voucher to claim a free doughnut and iced latte from Dunkin’ Donuts.
LIKES REACHED NEW HEIGHTS
Growth in reach and engagement on KC’s Facebook page (19% year-on-year with engagement up 63% and reach up by 23%), whilst the website saw a healthy increase (14%) in new users.
WE CONNECTED WITH CUSTOMERS
The campaign’s success has been described as one of the most successful Wi-Fi launches by a shopping centre in South Africa, with the centre generating 76 875 impressions on the login page, 53 176 Wi-Fi sessions, 16 390 new users and 17 865 database subscribers for the month-long duration of the launch campaign during December, which offered insights into consumer behaviour, including dwell time, footprint, as well as generate a unique customer database.
