Campaign: Student Lock In
Client: Meadowhall, Sheffield
Timescale: October 2012

Meadowhall Shopping Centre wanted to raise awareness of its wide range of retailers to the thousands of students this September. Situated in Sheffield, home to two of the UK’s most prestigious universities, the city’s 70,000 strong student community represents a key demographic for the Centre.

Objectives

• To assert and establish the Centre’s reputation as the best retail destination in the region for both new and returning students.
• Drive footfall and showcase wide range of new and existing retailers on offer.
• To promote Centre’s social media channels.

Strategy and Plan

MK identified social media as the channel for which to best target the city’s thriving student community. The PR team was responsible for delivering a high impact social media campaign to promote awareness of the event and offers, to drive pre-registration ahead of the night, to increase brand awareness and boost the Centre’s online profile. The PR team was also tasked with generating coverage in relevant local media.

Measurement and Evaluation

Meadowhall’s Student Lock In attracted in excess of 18,000 students from across the region, with some travelling from as far as Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle to attend the event. The event trended locally on Twitter, and Facebook fans increased by over 300% during the week of the Student Lock In compared to the previous year’s event.
The campaign also featured behind the scenes images in the live tweeting and Facebook posts on the night, as well as a parody video edit of shoppers enjoying the event which was uploaded to YouTube in the days following the event.

Results

Meadowhall saw a 20% per cent uplift in footfall on the previous year’s Student Lock In footfall, and over £600,000 in incremental sales as students splashed out on new purchases to update their wardrobes ahead of winter.