Marketwise

Malls will be tempting families with attractions for kids and plenty of shopping for parents.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
kids playing 88 224 (photo credit: Courtesy)
kids playing 88 224
(photo credit: Courtesy)
REPORTERS THIS week asked Yaacov Ellis, the CEO of Ahava Dead Sea Cosmetics, why his company had chosen someone other than an Israeli to present the company's products internationally, when there are so many beautiful young women in Israel. Ellis explained that in the cosmetics industry, you have to introduce a presenter who is internationally known. Apparently, Bar Rafaeli, despite her relationship with Leonardo diCaprio, is not sufficiently well known to suit Ahava's objectives. According to Ellis, one of the myriad reasons that the company chose Kristin Davis, was because she is well known throughout Asia, as well as Europe and the US, which means that women of all ethnic backgrounds can identify with her. There are two ways in which to turn a local brand into an international brand, said Ellis. One is to invest millions, and the other is to pay smart money to create awareness among overseas consumers. In his view, and that of the Ahava board of directors, Davis, who has become known to tens of millions of people through her role as Charlotte in Sex and the City was the perfect smart money choice. "You can't find anyone in Israel who is as well-known internationally," he said. "Shimon Peres," declared a voice from the crowd. Ellis didn't miss a beat. "I'm sure that Shimon Peres would be good for our anti-ageing products," he retorted. IT'S ALWAYS dangerous for your pocket when you take your kids to the mall, which may be the reason that mall managers make a point of investing in attractions for kids during the summer holiday season and during week-long holiday periods such as Pessah, Succot and Hanukka. If the activities designed for the younger generation are sufficiently gripping to keep youngsters occupied and attentive, then life becomes a joy, because they can be dumped in the mall's playground while one or both parents go shopping or simply take time out for coffee. Otherwise, demanding juniors want pizza, French fries, ice cream, candies - and, of course, toys. With all of this in mind, the Seven Stars Mall in Herzliya is investing $200,000 in summertime activities for kids. Details will be posted on billboards in the mall, and flyers will be placed in the mail boxes of 110,000 households. Some of the stage and small-screen personalities who have a large following among Israeli youngsters will appear in the mall to help make the activities even more attractive. According to Hadas Lamdan, the mall's deputy marketing manager, there will be riveting activities daily for both parents and children. BLOCKBUSTER IS investing NIS 600,000 in a marketing campaign under the slogan "Blockbuster refreshes your summer." The campaign - run by GPS Advertising - aims to encourage more people to rent videotapes and DVDs. Blockbuster will maintain its annual summer tradition of 9 rentals for NIS 99, and this year will also encourage customers to hire videos through its video dispensing machines at a special summer deal of NIS 11.90 per tape instead of NIS 23. CONVENTIONAL WISDOM says that it always looks different from the other side, which is why fashion model Natalie Attias went to work for advertising agency Adler Chomski & Warshavsky, where she managed clients' files, before deciding to go into advertising and marketing, both as a presenter and an account executive. Her looks are just fine for the latter position, but Attias decided that if she was to get work as a presenter, she needed to make some slight improvements on her image, especially her smile - in case she had to do a tooth paste commercial. Attias this week took a trip to Mediclinic in Tel Aviv, where she put herself in the hands of Dr. Mark Levin, who, after giving her a local anesthetic, gave her teeth a brand new sparkle with laser treatment. It's not certain whether Attias is currently acting as a presenter for Levin, nor for that matter whether she will be staying with ACW. She's currently exploring the field. DELTA HAS expanded its range of lingerie and underwear, and is on the verge of spending a million dollars on a marketing campaign featuring Ohr Grossman as the presenter. The campaign, which will include electronic and print media, billboards and sales points, will be handled by the Zarmon Goldman advertising agency. THE WAY to a man's heart is through his stomach, goes the old adage. With this in mind, Petah Tikva has launched a kosher food festival in much the same vein as other food festivals throughout the country, with the notable difference that in this case every participating restaurant and catering service is kosher. There seems to be a move afoot to get the Jewish public to become more observant. The food festival is one example. Another is the advertising campaign to get more Jewish couples to have a traditional Jewish wedding rather than opting for a civil ceremony in Cyprus or points elsewhere. THE PIONEER of shopping malls in Israel, David Azrieli this week opened his 9th mall - this time in Modi'in. With 140 shops, restaurants and coffee bars, the mall is the first of its kind in Modi'in, and was constructed at a cost of NIS 500 million. Although the population of Modi'in, with 21,000 households is relatively small for an investment of this kind, Azrieli is confident that there will be some five million visits to the mall in its first year of operation, and that within two years it will rank among the four leading malls in the Azrieli group. His optimism is based on the fact that there is a great deal of construction going on in Modi'in which has become a very popular area for young couples starting out in life and for young families moving into their second home. THE BOY Scouts motto is "Be Prepared." It's a motto that has also been adopted by the Shalmor Avnon Amichay Y&R office. Thus, when Rami Shalmor, Shlomi Avnon, Gideon Amichay and Eran Gefen went to Cannes for the Golden Lion awards, they packed a large Israeli flag in their luggage just in case there was cause for celebration. And indeed there was. They received a prize for their campaign on behalf of abducted Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. The message was strong to start with, but made an even stronger impact when they proudly held up the flag.