Toy and gift retailer Hawkin’s Bazaar is aiming to increase brand awareness in shopping centres via an outdoor ad campaign that takes advantage of what it claims is a new medium.

The chain is displaying its “Because life’s too serious” marketing campaign on signs in parking spaces positioned at eye level to target shoppers in their cars.

Hawkin’s Bazaar is trialling the medium in the car park of CrownGate Shopping Centre where its Worcester store is located, in an attempt to drive shoppers to the store. If successful, the retailer said it will consider rolling it out throughout the UK.

Hawkin’s Bazaar retail marketing manager John Hodge said: “As a brand it is vital for us to receive as much back from our advertising spend as possible. It is an experimental new medium for us. [We want] to raise our brand’s profile and location awareness to consumers in shopping centres.

“We hope by using the concept of hitting the customer on their arrival to destinations it will drive current and new customers to our stores.”

Creative agency StopAd, which created the new, standout medium, said retailers will now be able to advertise to their target audience in strategic locations, via repetitive visual signposting.

StopAd managing director Lucy Edwards said: “It is a way for advertisers and retail brand managers to reach out to their target audience and achieve maximum and measurable results.”

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