As Seen On TV

Posted on by Chief Marketer Staff

Simon Property Group and Turner Broadcasting System will launch an ambitious entertainment network in Simon’s 175-plus malls as early as fourth-quarter 2000.

The two inked a deal in November that covers development of an in-mall TV network; live events such as movie premieres; Cartoon Network family zones with games, food, and shopping; Internet kiosks; add-ons to Simon’s MallPerks loyalty program; and an in-mall magazine.

The fifty-fifty joint venture taps TBS’s existing programming and will expand Simon vehicles like the fledgling S Magazine and four-year-old MallPerks. It could even spur new programming. TBS may tap sister Time Warner divisions such as Warner Bros., too, but hasn’t approached them yet.

The network could be a boon for marketers, especially Simon partners Visa USA, Pepsi-Cola Co., AT&T, and Ford Motor Co. Simon hasn’t pitched them on it yet, says ceo David Simon. When it does, it’ll position the network as a “live marketing medium” that lets brands reach shoppers at point-of-sale within an entertainment format. “This offers even more unique opportunities for our partners because of the multimedia platform,” Simon says. “We expect [marketing partners] to be excited about this completely integrated, customer-centric platform.”

MALL NOURISHMENT

Plans call for several gathering places with TV screens in each mall. “We’ll treat malls as a 24/7 programming experience,” with day-parts for women, teens, families, and men, says TBS president-chief operating officer Steven Heyer. TBS will use its entertainment and news (from sister CNN) libraries, but “we won’t just take programming and dump it. We’ll shape it for folks’ mall experience.” That means shorter, crisper clips hosted by new mall-only anchors.

New programming might include live events in one mall simulcast across the network, or “virtual premieres” of Warner Bros. movies, Heyer says. Rather than traditional airtime, the partners expect to sell sponsorships that could include product placement, sampling, and kiosks.

Exposure to Simon’s 100 million shoppers gives TBS better reach than it gets on the air.

“The TV world is fragmenting,” says Heyer. “We’re creating a unique platform that gives our networks a substantial competitive advantage for branding. Our goal is to touch viewers in all aspects of their lives and create loyalty as the foundation for our networks’ future success.”

One element now in test is Cartoon Network family zones, with video clips, costumed characters, and games. The zone could be a movable shell that travels from mall to mall, or a permanent site in each mall. Simon won’t say how many malls will get zones, but did say Mall of America – which already has a Camp Snoopy theme park – will get one.

The as-yet unnamed joint venture will handle production in Atlanta and sales and marketing in New York City under a general manager splitting time between both offices.

Simon continues to run a $22 million branding campaign that broke last March with TV, radio, in-mall events, and the launch of S. The mall owner has sought out a heavy slate of promotion events through its three-year-old Simon Brand Ventures division. Most recently, Ford displayed its 2000 Taurus in 140 malls over the holidays, with video presentations and info on a watch-and-win sweeps with ABC. Ford ran ads in S, and folks who buy a Taurus through January get 1,000 MallPerks points.

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