A Great Night Out is a Gate Night Out

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A Great Night Out is a Gate Night Out

• Jude Leitch
• January 2009

2
The Gate

• Entertainment Centre in Central Newcastle
• Range of challenges experienced in 2006/7
• Customer research and segmentation used to
  develop new advertising approach

3
The Gate Challenges

• Eldon Square redevelopment
• National Smoking Ban
• Newcastle United performance

4
Previous Advertising
5
Previous Advertising
6
Objectives

• To maintain footfall in face of challenges
• To encourage increased visit frequency
• To keep The Gates profile high amongst target
  markets

7
Research

• Visitor Survey Completed
• Socio Demographics
• Reason for visit
• Perceived competition
• Reasons for choosing The Gate
• Key assets of The Gate
• Pointer on decision process
• Ideal day out and night out values
• Relationship people have with The Gate

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Research

• The Gate presented a unique proposition
• Unable to use traditional retail lifestyle
  segmentation methods
• Developed tailor-made model
• Further developed understanding with focus groups.

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Research

• Focus Groups discussed behaviour around bar use
  and meals out.
• Current customers very satisfied with experience
• Beer Monsters most loyal and visit most
  frequently
• Image Conscious Professionals like restaurants
  and also visit frequently
• Sophisticates visit less frequently. Many feel
  the venues are not for them but will visit
  because they know what theyll get.
• Strong overlap between product areas (60-80 of
  customers use the same venues)
• Various lifestyle groups respond to similar
  images

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Research

• Current Users felt
• TG is a place to have fun
• TG makes them happy
• TG is mainly used by groups of friends
• TG is a meeting place

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Identifying Target Markets
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Strategy Development

• Budget of 75,000
• Strategy meeting presented research to
  Advertising agency and designers
• Strategy suggested based on target market
  characteristics and behaviours

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Strategy

• Target Beer Monsters and Image Conscious
  Professionals
• Advertising must be true to life and avoid
  alienating other markets
• Designers suggested use of cartoons using
  humourous stories
• Benefits seen as
• Cut through
• True to life
• Ability to tell a story
• Appeal to target groups and speak their
  language
• Use of humour to engage with customers

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Strategy

• Media Selection
• Radio
• Outdoor (12 sheet posters, Metro Carriage Cards
  and Window Vinyls
• Advertisements in selected magazines
• Posters within The Gate

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Implementation

• Designers developed story-lines
• Local illustrator who had worked on Viz
• Four different treatments
• Night Out at The Gate
• Meal Out at The Gate
• Visit to the Cinema at The Gate
• Christmas Party at The Gate
• Logo not included

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Implementation

• Use of Geordie Dialect
• Characters not portrayed as any particular social
  class
• Characters realistic but well dressed and well
  behaved
• Cinema cartoon included families something for
  everyone
• Changeable strap-line
• Youve not had a great night out till youve had
  a Gate night out
• Youve not had a great meal out till youve had a
  Gate meal out

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Results

• Objective 1 To maintain The Gates footfall
• Overall yearly increase of 17 to 5,841,199
• Objective 2 To encourage increased visit
  frequency
• Visit frequency increased from 32 visits p.a. in
  December 2006 to 41 visits p.a. in November 2007.
• Objective 3 To keep the profile of The Gate high
• Advertising awareness of 65 (compared to 33 in
  previous research)
• Good feedback from customers and tenants
• Controversy provided PR coverage

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Results

• British Council of Shopping Centres
• Purple Apple Award for Effective Advertising.
• Entry to MAXI awards at International Council of
  Shopping Centres Conference, Hollywood, Florida,
  March 2009.
• Shopping Centre Magazines Sceptre Awards
• UK Marketing Manager of the Year.
• Northern Marketing Awards
• Best Use of Customer Knowledge.

19
Further Development

• Need to target older customers and families
• Cartoons were unpopular in some quarters
• Concept developed further to appeal to a wider
  audience.