Beyond Visitor Marketing
Client: CoastWood Capital+ Outlets of Maui
Title: The Art of Placemaking... Beyond Visitor Marketing
Category: Destination Marketing
Challenge:
With a host of popular shopping destinations available to the 2.5 million tourists that visit Maui annually, along with the island’s permanent population base, too, CoastWood Capital turned to Strategy+Style to put into place a new and ongoing strategy that would ultimately enhance the property’s overall identity and consumer draw.
Approach:
Following an initial Outlets of Maui property analysis, Strategy+Style developed a strategy to not only begin executing a more impactful annual visitor marketing advertising effort across a wide variety of channels, but employ a novel placemaking approach to help transform the real estate asset from an outlet shopping locale into a true visitor destination complete with food and beverage plus a wide and consistent variety of entertainment options.
Tactics:
- Completed a comprehensive audit of Outlets of Maui’s annual programming
- Evaluated the outlet center’s annual advertising spend and ROI
- Worked to reimagine the outlet center’s overall shopper experience and initiated a go-forward plan in conjunction with ownership, leasing, operations and the center’s on-site team
- Developed and put into place a new merchandising strategy including food and beverage activation on world-renown Front Street
- Pioneered a Kahului Airport advertising package which has since dominated airport visibility
- Expanded Outlets of Maui’s current cruise line marketing effort to grow market share and improve conversions
- Collaborated with center management to develop a hotel concierge and cruise line director “pitch book” to help educate hospitality personnel about Outlets of Maui to pass on to travelers
- Enhanced Outlets of Maui’s hotel/concierge outreach program via an online hospitality portal
- Shifted traditional media advertising dollars into a digital marketing program with a mobile geo-fencing strategy across key island resorts and hotels
- Worked with the outlet center’s on-site team to develop a robust annual special events schedule which tapped into the talents, resources and needs of its local community
- Implemented a “tech stack” program to optimize all SEO, social and placemaking technologies
Results:
Strategy+Style’s vision, execution and ongoing oversight of capital deployment to reimagine Outlets of Maui using a innovative placemaking strategy has successfully worked to add inherent value to the asset, transforming the property from a shopping center known for brands and value into one of the island’s most popular visitor destinations.
Now boasting a unique synergy across its 1) outlet retail offering, 2) expanding food and beverage category and 3) on-site special events and monthly entertainment calendar, Outlets of Maui is enjoying year-on-year consumer traffic and sales increases.
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