Simon Malls Stirs up Kids’ Cooking Event
Simon Property Group is back again with a cooking event just for kids that also doubles as a cause marketing effort to benefit local hunger-relief organizations.
The Simon Kidgits Super Duper Mini Chefs event is rolling out to 106 malls through July, up from 82 locations last year. At each event, kids can make a make a necklace at the Barilla Piccolini Pastabilities craft station, assemble works of art with Playskool’s Mr. Potato Head games and watch programming from TV kids network qubo, said Jayne Stilson, Simon Brand Ventures’ assistant vice president of business development marketing. And in select locations, Veggie Tales characters Bob, Larry and Dragon will make appearances.
Sponsor Barilla will hand out Mealtime Magic books to kids, which contain a $1 off coupon for Barilla’s Piccolini bite-sized pasta. Qubo will distribute magnets and other prizes using trivia question-type games, while Playskool will offer Mr. Potato Head giveaways.
For consumers, the program helps reinforce Simon’s positioning as a family-friendly destination, Cathi Weiner, senior vice president, business development, for Simon Brand Ventures, said. For marketers, it offers brands the opportunity to build one-to-one relationships with shoppers, she added.
Kids who attend the events are asked to bring a non-perishable food item, which will be donated to a local hunger relief program. The company is looking to develop the cause-related activity into a larger effort next year, to be called Kidgit Cares, Weiner said.
The event is an extension of Simon’s Super Chef Live tour, which brings celebrity chefs into malls for cooking demonstrations. Simon’s kids’ loyalty club, Kidgits, is the host. About 750,000 children and parents have registered for the program since its launch in 2003.
As a special incentive, all Kidgits members who attend will receive a vegetable and fruit play set in a plastic basket.
Radio Disney will run spots in 76 locations. In-mall signage, including posters and table tents, e-mail blasts, and online marketing at http://www.Simon.com, Simon’s newly launched Web site, will also support the program. Simon is handling the event in-house.
