Mall manager The Mills Corp. and PBS Kids have formalized and expanded their three-year-old marketing alliance with new programming slated to begin next month in many of Mills’ 41 malls and entertainment venues.
Three efforts will piggyback Mills’ own program, Muggsy’s Meadow, for kids under 13. Each mall will partner with the local PBS affiliate to market events, likely on-air and via PBS direct mail, and through Mills’ direct mail to Muggsy’s Meadow members and via its Web site. Mills and PBS Kids also will seek national and local sponsors for events.
First up is Kids That Care Day on June 11, with local non-profits and service groups exhibiting in malls to showcase community-service work. Each mall will host a food or book drive and award a cash prize to one young humanitarian and his charity of choice.
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| Mills has PBS Kids Backyard play areas in three malls |
Second is Share a Story segments that piggyback PBS Kids’ national literacy campaign and run during Muggsy’s Meadow events. Share a Story began in March, and will run monthly, with PBS Kids helping to choose books and activities. Third, malls will host Halloween activities with local PBS affiliates, including costume parades, PBS Kids character appearances and trick-or-treating.
Arlington, VA-based Mills and New York City-based PBS Kids first collaborated on programming in 2002, then added PBS Kids Backyard play areas in two malls (St. Louis Mills and Cincinnati Mills), with a third (Pittsburgh Mills) opening in July (Dec. 22 PROMO P&I).
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