Rundle Mall, South Australia's premier retail precinct, delivered an award-winning activation for Black Friday 2022, winning the Shopping Centre Council of Australia Award for Compelling Experiences (Multi Centre) in 2023. The “South Australia’s Biggest Black Friday Weekend” campaign was strategically designed to overcome challenges such as road closures and economic uncertainty while creating an unrivalled shopping experience that positioned Rundle Mall as a must-visit destination.
Black Friday, which has grown exponentially in Australia, became Rundle Mall’s biggest shopping event, surpassing Boxing Day. The 2022 campaign aimed to maintain and grow the momentum of the sales weekend amidst several challenges, including restricted access to the city due to road closures and rising interest rates putting pressure on consumer spending. The objective was to create an experience that suburban competitors could not replicate, ensuring the precinct’s unique brand promise of "expect it all."
Activation Details
The centerpiece of the campaign was the Rundle Mall Concierge and Espresso Martini Bar, offering:
- Complimentary Bag Drop Service: Shoppers could store purchases, freeing up their arms so they could shop more and encourage them to stay longer.
- Espresso Martini Bar: Giving shoppers an area to stop and rest, whilst rewarding the first 100 customers to use the bag drop service with a complimentary drink.
- Chauffeured Buggy Rides: A golf buggy service ferried shoppers and their purchases around the precinct and to the car parks in the Precinct.
- Entertainment: DJs across three key locations provided a lively atmosphere throughout the extended trading hours, which stretched from 8am to midnight on Friday as well creating a vibrant atmosphere for shoppers across Saturday and Sunday.
These unique elements differentiated Rundle Mall from its competitors and created a media-friendly activation that attracted significant coverage, including live broadcasts from major TV networks.
Results
The Black Friday weekend was a resounding success, driving substantial increases in key metrics:
- Foot Traffic: A 23% increase compared to the previous year.
- Sales: A 7% increase, totalling $22.9 million in sales.
- Market Share: Rundle Mall’s market share almost doubled from 6.6% to 11.3%.
- PR Reach: Generated over 23 million impressions across 125 media stories.
Conclusion
Rundle Mall’s 2022 Black Friday campaign exemplified innovative customer experience and strategic marketing, successfully navigating external challenges to deliver economic benefits to retailers and reinforce its position as Adelaide's premier shopping destination
