Client: The Shops at Willow Bend
TAPPING INFLUENCER RELATIONS TO BUILD HOLIDAY BUZZ
As more consumers shift to online shopping for holiday gifting, traditional retailers like The Shops at Willow Bend are hungry for unique activations and guest experiences to draw in crowds and promote brick-and-mortar browsing. Three Box was tasked with developing and executing a creative influencer engagement to drive Willow Bend’s foot traffic during the busiest shopping season of the year.
LISTEN
Willow Bend recently underwent major renovations, including a new chef-driven restaurant district, a luxury fitness center, Texas’ only Crayola Experience location and more. Three Box knew that highlighting the mall’s unique offerings and experiences on social media would resonate with young professionals and suburban moms, Willow Bend’s target demographics for the holiday shopping season.
BUILD
Three Box began holiday campaign preparations in late summer by brainstorming creative ways to reach local audiences during a competitive media season. Landing on the popular subscription box trend as our inspiration, the team designed an influencer relations campaign.
Local bloggers, influencers and micro-influencers would receive boxes full of hand-picked items from unique Willow Bend retailers in exchange for online promotion. Each item was carefully selected to promote aspects of The Shops at Willow Bend that make it stand out – namely, its commitment to local businesses and experiential offerings beyond traditional retail stores.
IMPACT
The Shops at Willow Bend partnered with 10 diverse local influencers that have a collective reach of more than 1 million followers. Through an integration of static Instagram posts, Instagram stories, blog and Facebook posts, influencer partners provided Willow Bend with a combined total value of more than $7,000 in deliverables.
Influencer partners included: It Starts With Coffee, Finding Debra, The Dallas Socials, Rollos De Mujeres, Streets, Beats and Eats, Mama Contemporanea, Pardon My Millennial, Love You More Too and Whit’s Whims.
The Shops at Willow Bend’s 2019 holiday shopping season was a success, surpassing initial goals for sales and foot traffic.