Park Place — Mall Renovation & Grand Opening
Public Relations Case Study
Background:
In 1998, Chicago-based General Growth Properties, the owner of Park
Place, hired LP&G to develop and execute public, government and
community relations during a massive multi-million dollar renovation
of the aging mall. LP&G was charged with maintaining traffic,
promoting goodwill during construction, and repositioning the center
as a premiere shopping experience. The culmination of this three-year
project was to promote a huge grand opening event.
Goals:
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Reposition Park Place as a complete shopping and
entertainment venue, perfect for families
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Generate goodwill with neighbors and local government
officials
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Develop partnerships with community organizations
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Maintain traffic during renovation
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Keep community aware of new stores and amenities
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Drive attendance during grand opening events
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Research:
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Analyzed the clientele of the original Park Mall
- a dwindling older population
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Reviewed focus group research from residents of
Sonora, Mexico
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Gleaned national trends from GGP studies, trade
magazines and Web searches
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Discovered opportunities for growth in the younger
family-oriented market and the Mexican-citizen market
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Compared the competition to evaluate successes
and uncover opportunities
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Strategies and Tactics:
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Conducted a two-year renovation awareness program,
to keep the public informed of milestones in construction
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Released numerous new retailer and special events
announcements
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Pitched major stories to key reporters
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Conducted hard hat media tours
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Provided in-depth releases on new features of
the mall
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Created an expanded and updated media kit
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Conducted regular meetings with neighborhood groups
to keep them informed and engaged
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Identified and worked with critical audiences
(City of Tucson Transportation, Council members and Police)
on transportation issue
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Developed partnerships with community organizations
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Promoted a job fair to help people find jobs in
the soon-to-open food court
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Invited community leaders to participate in upcoming
grand opening events
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Invited VIPs to the ribbon cutting ceremony
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Results:
LP&G's proactive and strategic public relations efforts allowed
the Park Place renovation project to proceed smoothly with the support
of neighbors, public officials, community leaders and the media. The
success of the grand opening went well beyond General Growth Properties'
expectations.
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Defused neighborhood fears of traffic and noise
by regularly bringing together neighbors, city traffic engineers,
council members and mall management and gaining concensus on
solutions
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Community groups benefitted by receiving donated
items ranging from clothing racks and other fixtures to indoor
space used for assembling Christmas packages for needy children
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Park Place was featured regularly in the media
during the three-year project as new amenities were introduced
and progress was made
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97 media hits were recorded from June 1 to August
14, including ten page-one stories and a major insert; 14 television
news stories the day of and the day after the grand opening;
7 radio interviews the week of the grand opening
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The Saturday following the grand opening, Park
Place set a new record, serving approximately 40,000 shoppers
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Attendance for the ribbon cutting was expected
to be about 1,000 people. More than 5,000 people attended the
9 a.m. ceremonies.
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Tucson's mayor interrupted his vacation to emcee
the event. The Mayor also officially proclaimed August 8th "Park
Place Day"
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Representatives from many of Tucson's important
community organizations attended the event
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This campaign won the prestigious PRimus Award from the Public Relations
Society of America for excellence in public relations.
LP&G has been working with General Growth Properties since 1998.
Read about our work for Golden Eagle Distributors Management Succession and Forest City Groundbreaking Event. |
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