Marketing alternatives

Communicating effectively

Shopping centres can gain a competitive advantage in developing and gaining positive marketing alternatives from their improved environmental and waste minimisation performance.

Target audiences should include:

• retailers
• customers (existing and new)
• schools in the centre’s catchment areas
• credible and established environmental organisations.

A broad range of promotional options becomes available with a focused approach to raising environmental performance within shopping centres. This includes a host of opportunities to provide wholesome, educational school holiday activities and ongoing community awareness raising and environmental education displays.

Various hands-on, interactive activities can be introduced and include building animals from papiermâché; ‘Come and wriggle with worms’; ‘Find out what to do with worm poo’; ‘Check out compost creatures’; ‘Cuddle a koala’; ‘Have your photo taken with the Easter Bilby’ and more.

Recognised environmental organisations, environmental protection authorities, government departments, national parks agencies, as well as local government departments have resources available to assist in this area. Opportunities are available to initiate partnerships between centres and the environmental network for mutual benefit.

Local schools’ environmental activities also provide opportunities for centres to develop, build and extend relationships within their communities.

Communicating effectively

The community can’t favour a green shopping centre unless it is informed
of its new environmental activities, programs and services. Effective communication with target audiences maximises the opportunities associated with a shopping centre’s aim to reduce environmental impacts and builds relationships with the local community. Here are some ideas.

Eco corner/area
Introduce a bright, colourful area set aside and dedicated to promoting
environmental action. It is a positive way of involving the community and promoting current issues.

• Focus on three display elements – what’s happening in centres, what’s happening in the community and how the community can be involved or take action.
• Set up and change displays regularly.
• Establish a network with environmental organisations, levels of government and local schools to promote example of positive, proactive environmental action.
• Ensure promotional materials are graphical; keep text to a minimum.
• Use the KISS principle in arranging display materials: keep it simple – literacy levels vary greatly.

Eco awards
Introduce environmental awards that recognise and encourage positive action within the community. The award could be directed at action within schools, environmental organisations or the general community. Encourage retailers and staff to aim at achieving best practice in environmental improvements by introducing a regular retailer and/or centre staff award to recognise positive action.

Communication
Think about ways of communicating with your target audience:

• Promote environmental issues in direct mail or in-centre publications, and reinforce positive action within centres and the community.
• Link ‘green’ information in media advertising to promote specific issues.
• Coordinate a monthly ‘green’ column as an advertorial within the localpress. Take the opportunity to promote action within centres. Look to encourage the local community to contribute – a great way to develop strong, mutually beneficial relationships.

Other
A centre’s positive effect of raising environmental performance can be
promoted in other ways:

• Nominate the waste reduction program within your centre for local government or environmental awards or recognition. Recognition raises public awareness but more importantly it encourages continuing action within your centre.
• Where possible, get involved in local fairs and school fetes to promote environmental action at your centre. If possible, sponsor an environmental element of the activities.
• Reinforce positive action with continuous educational materials, to encourage retailers and shoppers to continue with their positive green actions.

A fully integrated marketing plan promoting the development of a waste
reduction program is only constrained by the imagination.

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