Is it too early to be happy again? Our experience says… No.
At circus we provide a full range of advertising and marketing services to a wide range of clients across Canada including shopping centres. Deemed not an essential service, shopping centres were forced to close their doors and patiently waited for the “all clear” to open again.
Their customers, people like you and I, went into self-isolation, started to work from home and in short order started to feel like the world would never be the same again. In fact, mental health issues have dramatically increased.
We simply want life to get back to normal. Is that too much to ask?
We knew our shopping centre clients were well positioned to bring a sliver of “happy” back into our lives. It was a bold move – was it too early to offer “happy”?
Bracing for a backlash they received gratitude.
The online campaigns we developed were a ray of hope and sunshine in an otherwise gloomy day and, as it turned out, a great way to connect in a positive way with customers. Here are two samples and results.
A simple Spring Contest asked people to mention a friend for a chance to win a lovely prize package. The creative was fresh and “springy” and the response was overwhelming – in fact comments on Instagram received for this contest saw an increase of 127% over previous Instagram contests.
Another centre focused on a virtual Easter with family. The online campaign invited people to “tell us who they’d spend their virtual Easter visit with”. Day one of the contest saw a 335% increase in entries over previous contests with people not just telling us names but sharing heartwarming stories.
In all cases, the response was so positive that these, and other centres, are planning their next “happy” message.
Happiness is not for sale.
In all cases, the intent of the messaging was to bring a happy distraction into people’s lives. There were no special offers, product launches or company horn tooting. It was a case of a brand they knew and missed reaching out with a positive message. Simple as that.
What can you do to add a little “happy” into the world today?
Making customers (and your employees) happy goes a long way to building strong customer relationships and loyalty. What can you do today to #sharehappy?
Stay well. #sharehappy
