Bahrain City Centre is kicking off its World Cup festivities this month with a ‘Fashion & Football’ campaign offering shoppers the chance to win prizes and ‘feel the action’, writes Mai Al Khatib-Camille.
The popular shopping destination is staging various activities throughout the mall to commemorate the global competition, which holds billions of fans under its spell. A spokesman said: “We aim to be Bahrain’s World Cup portal, a place where two passions meet ‘Fashion & Football’. Our approach is to take a birds-eye view of our channels and create a synchronised experience for shoppers, from the moment they enter our car park until the moment they leave. “The campaign will include winning grand prizes, receiving gifts with purchase, interactive activations, an exclusive art show, a chance for people to take part in social media competitions and creating memorable moments for our customers.” Shoppers will be greeted with sounds of cheering fans or famous football anthems played through speakers fitted in the car park. The security and parking staff have also joined in the fun, kitted out in football accessories such as whistles and caps and using red and green cards to direct traffic. The venue will be covered with jerseys and flags hanging throughout and mannequins dressed in the latest fashion and official jerseys from brands such as Nike, Adidas and Puma in the ground floor Galleria. A multi-functional interactive screen will be placed over the fountain with a digital display of match scores and schedules as well as coverage of other activities taking place in the mall. A giant 3D ‘C’, with a touch of glitter will also be displayed on the fountain. When customers scan the letter with their smartphones, the 3D ‘C’ will come to life with campaign messages and animations through Augmented Reality. Customers can also take part in the shop and win competition. Those that redeem receipts worth BD35 or more will receive a football-related trivia card to fill in at the customer service desk. Once the trivia card is completed, their E-coupon will be sent to their mobile device for a chance to win one of two prize Subaru BRZ sports cars. Shoppers who redeem receipts of BD50 or more will receive a gift. They will get to pick one item from a variety of World Cup merchandise such as watches and sports bags. Other surprises include a football-inspired beauty station offering services such as nail art and make-up with Brazilian and football themes. There will also be a ‘Wear it Like You Mean it’ Photo Booth with props such as flags, jerseys and humorous captions. “Anyone can join in the fun, show their support for their favourite teams and share their photos across our different social media platforms. Shoppers will walk away with a framed branded photograph as a souvenir,” said a mall representative. “We also have a City Stadium Facebook app to convert our offline customers to online fans. “The customer’s photos taken at the booth will be uploaded instantly on the Facebook app as audience members filling up stadium seats. Customers can then tag themselves on our Facebook page after liking it first. The three photos with the highest number of likes will win a BD50 GiftCard each plus a complimentary Bell Captain City Cart service.” The World Cup craze continues with a referee roaming the mall, flashing football cards at randomly selected shoppers with instant prizes as well as fun facts about football. A Brazilian dance troupe will entertain visitors with a samba parade, performed three-times-a-day including ‘meet and greet’ photo opportunities over two days. The troupe includes five Brazilian dancers, four football stunt performers and two drummers. For further details, visit www.bahraincitycentre.com
