The experience provided by a shopping centre cannot be replicated online, according to Liverpool ONE's marketing director Donna Howitt as it prepares to roll out a new £2.5m advertising campaign.
“e-commerce simply cannot compete with the experience and enlivenment a shopping centre like Liverpool ONE provides, that feeling of shopping can’t be replicated online,” Howitt told The Drum.
The new campaign, which debuts today (Thursday 23 May) on ITV Granada stars two of the city’s most famous figures, the Liver Birds, brought to life and transformed into two straight-talking girls – Liv and Liz - whose love of shopping and fashion epitomises the spirit of Liverpool ONE.
“The Liver Birds are so symbolic of the city and I think in such a crowded marketplace we have to have a very strong brand personality to help create cut through. What we’ve found through huge amounts of research and insight into how people shop and their shopping behaviours is that there are a whole number of things that are universal, whether it’s hiding the bags when you get home or feeling a bit guilty about spending too more than you intended to.
“The fact that we’ve engaged on such an emotional level with this campaign fulfils the ultimate requirement of the brief from the outset.”
Nine months in the making the campaign, created by McCann Manchester, aims to drive footfall to the centre and is Liverpool ONE’s first TV campaign out with the Christmas period, something which Howitt believes is vital to the centre’s continued success.
“Coordinating and using budget very wisely is the key thing, we’ve constantly looked at our performance over the last five years and without a doubt it’s obvious that when we spend on advertising we see uplift in footfall. It’s proven that brands that spend are often the ones who benefit in the longer term, yes, we’ve spent but we’re spending wisely,” said Howitt of the six-figure budget allocated to the campaign.
The TV execution will be supported by radio and digital display creatives, included in the campaign is cinema advertising, press and outdoor collateral and digital assets as well as in-centre signage.