Cousins Properties - Social Media

Challenge

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During an unusually slow holiday sales period, retailers not only began offering deep discounts and unique shopper perks, but also turned to cost-effective online engagement and marketing tools including social media to drive shopper traffic.

Cousins Properties' The Avenue®, an outdoor lifestyle center with locations through the southeast, launched a Facebook page and reached out to c21's interactive practice area, c21i, to expand The Avenue's "fan" base during the holiday shopping season — which was just three weeks away.

Solution

c21i leveraged the social nature of shopping and the viral component of Facebook in working with The Avenue to develop an Affordable Luxuries Facebook contest, an extension of the company's holiday advertising campaign, which featured gifts priced under $25, $50 and $100. The hyper-local contest offered exciting prizes, including 250 cosmetic bags and a $500 grand prize gift package. Each Facebook fan's interaction with the page (posting to the Wall, uploading a photo, commenting on a photo, etc.) counted as a contest entry — encouraging ongoing interaction and engagement.

c21i promoted the contest through e-mail marketing to A-List members (The Avenue's VIP shopper program), pre- and post-contest media relations and online event listings.

Results

In just three weeks, the number of fans increased from 90 to more than 1,300 — exceeding The Avenue's goal of 1,000 fans. Fans posted more than 210 comments on The Wall and uploaded nearly 100 photos. Of the 250 cosmetic bag winners, 70 percent were not current A-List members, indicating that the company reached a new audience through its Facebook page.

c21i obtained exposure of the contest and the Facebook page through:

• Blog postings on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Best of the Big A and WXIA-TV's Mom's Like Me.
• Media coverage in Town Loafer and Up in Cumming magazine (pre-contest), as well as Fayette Neighbor, Peachtree City Citizen, Fayette Front Page and dBusiness News (post-contest). In addition, c21i secured coverage of The Avenue's social media strategy and its success in Chain Store Age, a national trade publication.
• Event listings on MetroMix, Craigslist, Atlanta Buzz and the Appen Newspapers Web site.

The Affordable Luxuries Facebook campaign proved to be a cost-effective way for The Avenue to reach a new audience, learn directly from consumers how they perceive The Avenue brand, drive traffic to the centers and generate genuine shopper testimonials.