Marketing through Social Change
Campaign Development | Copywriting | Advertising
2020 was a redefining year for conversations around health, equality, economics and business. At a time when the world was navigating a pandemic and major social movements, companies had to re-strategize how to stay relevant in the market and communicate their value - with few industries deemed “essential business”.
To stay relevant, successful companies joined the conversation. As consumers started to speak up about injustice, they urged brands to do the same, exude authenticity and not stay silent. I helped Galleria Dallas navigate through the crises, shifting our messaging priorities to not seem sales-y, but soulful. I delivered a humanizing approach to marketing to maintain relevancy in the market.
Goal
Shopper traffic and revenue at the shopping center decreased significantly as consumers chose to stay at home due to the spread of COVID-19 and concern with social unrest and safety. My goal was to communicate that Galleria Dallas was a place for all to shop and interact with safely. I communicated our essentialness as a place to recharge and uplift during the difficult times. If consumers were not ready to shop in person, we needed to keep Galleria Dallas top of mind for when they were ready.
Approach
I approached the situation as an opportunity to redefine the shopping center industry and change customer expectations of what a retail experience can be - a brand that is a reflection of the diverse customer base that it attracts and is not afraid to speak up in support of its community. What better way to speak up than using our words. Typography and short form content became our method to connect with customers.
I collaborated with our design agency and community partners to execute meaningful experiential, digital and OOH campaigns using our brand voice and sharing messages of hope.
During the pandemic, social media usage grew among consumers. With our customers online more than ever, we used this channel to reach customers where they were with targeted messaging that joined current conversations. First, to express the company’s stance on the current social unrest I crafted a statement titled “Galleria Dallas in Support of Black Lives”. We followed the statement with a series of words collected from our Black team members about being Black in America. The content was shared through social media, email and the Galleria Dallas blog.
Looking to connect with our community in impactful and safe ways, I crafted a Juneteenth activation showcasing artist collaborations. I commissioned a local artist Desiree Venicia for a t-shirt design honoring the holiday and distributed in-person to shoppers.
Results
Our digital campaign reached over 50,000 social media users. The Juneteenth activation drew new crowds into the shopping center, increased traffic and enhanced our brand marketing. Community members came in-person to receive their free and limited-edition shirts. Using our high-visibility billboard located in a prime market, we shared messages of hope that established Galleria Dallas as a place with a heart and new experiences to be discovered.
Galleria Dallas in Support of Black Lives
At Galleria Dallas we're grieving over the senseless killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other black lives. We’ve paused from our usual posting on social media, realizing our normal conversations have no place in this world full of unrest and injustice. We pledge our support to advocating for the long-term prosperity of black lives in our community, because they do matter.We’ve taken time to reflect on how we’ve historically supported the many black faces that make up our community and diverse team from mall management, to operations, our security officers and retailers. We know we can do more. We asked our black team members to share with us in their own words what being black in America means to them, and we let those words guide us in deciding our next actions as an organization. Some words were proud, some heartbreaking, but all honest and highlight the necessity to focus our support on the long-term prosperity of black lives.In the next few days, we'll share the words of these team members' experiences and ideas on how to make Galleria Dallas more inclusive.But it doesn’t stop here. Join us in person and online this week leading up to Juneteenth as we celebrate black lives through honoring black music, art, fashion and history. We know change must happen. We hear you, we see you and we will do our part to make sure positive change prevails.- Galleria DallasCredits
Branding & Design: SWOON, the studio
Photography: Max Kutz
Property Photography: Chelsea Delzell
Artist: Desiree Venicia