Mall Ads ‘Drives’ Car Sales with Umlazi Mega City Car Expo

Mall Ads™ has continued its drive to innovate and remain the industry’s market leaders in the non-GLA space, with another successful staging of an expo that delivered both tangible results for its exhibitors and an improved mall experience for customers.

On this occasion, Umlazi Mega City near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal was the venue for the Umlazi Car Expo, with seven brands (Audi Durban, CMH – Haval, Toyota & Kia, Westend Motors, Auto Pedigree, Renault, and WF1 – Car Polish) displaying 26 cars in the centre over a week in May.

A total of four cars were sold during the expo period, representing a significant return on investment for the exhibiting brands and an impressive conversion rate for just a week’s worth of exposure.

“Our goal was to complement the mall experience for the consumer and drive sales for our exhibitors, and we achieved that,” says John Faia, General Manager of Mall Ads™. “But, to do that requires innovation and re-looking the non-GLA space, and how best it can be utilised to the benefit of all parties. Mall Ads will continue to do this going forward, as it is a key element in our growth strategy.”

In addition to the sales revenue generated by the Umlazi Car Expo, it also delivered public relations value to the tune of R323,000, which included exposure on Mall TV throughout Umlazi Mega City, and high levels of reach and engagement on the Umlazi Mega City social media platforms.

“This is an example of how ‘out-of-the-box’ out of home thinking can drive digital engagement and brand awareness, once you understand the medium and match it with an audience,” says Faia.

Further, visitors to the mall were engaged by the vehicle brands themselves, with Auto Pedigree giving away R4,500 worth of prizes to three shoppers during the expo period.

In this way, Mall Ads created a platform from which the exhibitors could both drive sales, as well as engage with consumers and complement their mall experience, offering something new and fresh.

“With the mall landscape changing all the time, we have to keep coming up with innovative ideas regarding how best to leverage the non-GLA space and the options it offers,” says Faia. “The great thing about the mall environment is that it is captive, conducive to spending and beneficial to brand assimilation. More often than not, a consumer will stop at an exhibition stand to see what is on offer, and this is because expos bring an added element of surprise and novelty to the retail mix.”

Mall Ads has a full programme of expos planned for 2019, as it looks to leverage this marketing tool in a space that it has built its reputation and expertise in, and deliver results for its exhibitors and a memorable experience for mall visitors.