Westfield, which operates Europe’s largest and second largest shopping destinations, is marking the Islamic festival of Eid by unveiling the first Arabic language campaign within a UK airport.
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The campaign is running for a week following Eid al-Fitr on July 17, the festival of fast breaking that marks the end of Ramadan. Adverts will be broadcast on Eye Airports’ Arrivals Gallery and Arrivals digital six-sheets to coincide with the landing of each Emirates flight.
The Middle East market now accounts for a significant 25% of non-EU spend at Westfield. Post-Ramadan spend in Westfield London’s luxury quarter, the Village, has increased 64% year-on-year with spend up 75% in the mall. As such an influential market, Westfield identified the need to attract these visitors on arrival in London.
Killian Barrins, Business Director at Eye Airports, told us “This is a clever use of digital out-of-home that demonstrates how effective airports can be at utilising data to target specific passengers at specific times and minimise wastage.”
Myf Ryan, Director of Marketing, UK & Europe at Westfield said: “Shoppers from the Middle East are a notably important market for Westfield and we expect to see a significant number of international and domestic Middle Eastern visitors head to our centres this year as they celebrate Eid. This market is attracted to Westfield’s luxury offer, our services and our extensive leisure and dining options. This campaign at Gatwick Airport gives us the opportunity to reach this audience as soon as they arrive in London and deliver an impactful welcome message.”
The creative uses a mixture of English and Arabic language to encourage shoppers to visit Westfield’s shopping malls at Shepherd’s Bush and Stratford using the message ‘Welcome to London! Discover the ultimate world class shopping experience.’
The campaign, planned by Arena Media, bought through Posterscope’s international division PSI and broadcast by UK airport advertising expert Eye Airports, will target Arabic speaking passengers who arrive at London Gatwick Airport on the thrice-daily Emirates flights from Dubai.
Abi Ward, Group Business Director at Arena Media, said “With shopping power from the Middle East becoming increasingly significant at Westfield, this campaign demonstrates that, yet again, Westfield is fully in tune with its audience, and putting customers first.”
Westfield expects to see an increase in visitors over Eid, with designer brands such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Mulberry and Gucci housed in the Village, benefiting most from the Ramadan rush. To further enhance the shopping experience for this market, Westfield also has a dedicated concierge team offering personal chauffeurs, valet parking, handsfree shopping, personal styling and tax-free shopping.