7 Ways to Advertise in A Shopping Mall

The shopping mall has an important place in Americana, as it is regarded as one of American capitalism’s greatest inventions. What is widely considered as the very first shopping mall was opened in 1922 in Kansas City (Missouri). However, that was really more of a shopping plaza which was located outdoors to boot. The very first iteration of what we know shopping malls to be today was opened over 30 years later in 1956 in Edina, Minnesota. It was an indoor location that had a sizable department store as its featured attraction with a number of smaller stores surrounding it. Shopping malls eventually became known as the place that people could visit to hangout for social bonding and for the ‘window shopping’ aspect of going to each store and finding out what is the latest deals in each specialty outlet. However, more recently, as shopping online through e-commerce has become more and more prevalent, in-person visits to physical locations have tapered off somewhat. But, as more brands are actually choosing to maximize their in-house customer experiences by relying the loyalty that was built online while attempting to extend these experiences offline, more and more potential customers are willing to come out to participate in these processes in real time as the combination of shopper experience, product and customer service is what – currently – makes or breaks a brand. It is with this knowledge, that shopping mall advertising has once again become a viable type of marketing that companies should explore, especially in a post Covid pandemic world that has the majority of the public clamoring to be outside and within these pseudo marketplaces again.

What Are Some Of The Ways To Advertise In Shopping Malls

1. Shopping mall kiosks retain a certain level of marketing value as their large, often bright, displays could be used in the walkways of the mall. They often capture the attention of the public by being LED displays or having displays that are backlit. These kiosks are great for both products and promotional displays.
2. As most shopping malls have quite elaborate food courts. Advertising on the tabletops in that area could become quite valuable as there is bound to be a palpable level of foot traffic through that area either ordering, picking up or eating food. These tabletop designs could be as creative or as understated as the advertising client wants them to be.
3. Another tried and true method of shopping mall advertising are the display banners These banners are available in many different sizes and could be configured to fit any mall’s layout specifications. Some malls even have sky banners available that are even more attention grabbing than the banners on the ground level.
4. If the shopping mall is multi-storied, then elevator or escalator advertising options could be available. If that option is within the elevator lift, then those few seconds that it takes the elevator to reach its destination could be valuable in capturing a shopper’s attention. Escalators, and elevators mind you, could have specially made advertisements wrapped around them – on their exterior. So that all who approach would have a full view of what is being showcased by the placement.
5. There are even larger opportunities for companies wishing to try shopping mall advertising. Spectaculars are enormous advertisements that are normally located on the outskirts of the mall for everyone, who is in its vicinity, to see. This could mean customers or visitors of the mall or any passerby. With spectacular sizes being quite massive, some could be as large as 60 feet wide, it stands to reason that only huge brand names could afford to make such a splash.
6. In 2022, there are quite a few digital shopping mall advertising options available for companies. These could range from standard static displays to more elaborate Augmented Reality (AR) options featuring the usage of Quick Response (QR) codes. Special advertising videos are also created for companies and could be showcased on erected monitors or on the shopping mall’s movie theater screen – if that mall has a movie theater as a part of its attractions.
7. One of the fancier current shopping mall advertising methods is proximity marketing.

This method is available to malls that provide free WiFi access to all who enter, once connected the mall can send out alerts and offers showcasing whatever brands who take up the offer.    

Another feature that advertising with shopping malls could give, is the ability to conduct promotional events on location. These promotions could range from product displays, school displays, discounted sales promotions, promotions based on the community, school displays or even fashion shows. These events have the knock on effect of affecting even those who wasn’t not aware of the promotion before entering the mall. Even if these people do not eventually become customers of a company’s product or service. That company advertising would have seen the benefit because of the visibility created on that day.   

Shopping mall advertising is making a strong return as one of the essential ways to get visibility for companies. As there is a push to get back to ‘normalcy’, shopping mall advertising will provide plenty of opportunities for companies to make contact with their target audience – maybe even some people outside of the target. Because there is such a variety of shopping mall advertising types, advertising companies should think long and hard before approaching a shopping mall about doing placements. But if they do, decide to take out advertising, it could only be a good thing as there is nothing as American as visiting and patronizing shopping malls. It is only right that as a part of the overall post Covid economic recovery process, potential companies advertising can get back to trying to reach their capitalist goals: Of making profit.