IT WAS one of the year's hottest movie releases and a guaranteed hit with the young female audience, but could the launch of Breaking Dawn: Part 1 - the latest instalment of the Twilight saga - also be a vehicle to sell fashion?
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Shopping giant Westfield found that the answer was yes, running a promotion to give away two tickets to VIP screenings of the hugely popular vampire movie at its Belconnen and Woden centres to customers who spent $120 in selected stores. The result was a hit, with hundreds of fans lining up for 16 screenings.
Westfield, which heavily advertised the giveaway in print and on radio, says it got about 4000 Canberrans into the stores and then into the cinemas.
The promotion has caught the eye of others in the business community, with ACT Chamber of Commerce chief executive Chris Peters saying Westfield deserved to be congratulated on its success. ''Retailers can no longer keep doing what they have been doing because the market has changed,'' he said. ''The ones who will survive are the ones doing innovative things ... [this promotion encourages] existing customers to shop and it's helping the movie centre because while they are giving away the tickets they are selling other things.''
Senior marketing manager for Westfield Belconnen Kelly McGufficke said the promotion had created a lot of interest, particularly with the younger market.
''Westfield Woden and Belconnen have held similar Hoyts promotions in the past but not to this extent, as we knew Twilight would be very successful,'' she said. ''[We] will consider a similar promotion in the future but it does depend on the strength of the movie.''
The shopping giant said it also had other tricks up its sleeve to get the customers to log-off their computers and get back to the shops. ''We also have a Christmas giveaway promotion, where every customer will receive a gift on the weekend of [December 10 and 11],'' Ms McGufficke said.