Sunway Pyramid's Squid Game activation draws 10% increase in footfall in a day

Sunway Pyramid has collaborated with Netflix to recreate the iconic scene from the "Red light Green Light" segment in Squid Game. Customers who visit the mall would be greeted by the infamous Squid Game doll, with pink officers guarding the entrances. On the ground, customers can look out for these pink officers to receive an "invitation" to obtain rewards such as special deals, privileges, and gifts from retailers in the mall. Among the list of participating retailers include Laneige, Mr Dakgalbi, Sulwhasoo, THE FACE SHOP and innisfree.

The activation was done in collaboration with The Chariot Agency, C27 and Maker Lab and will run until 31 October. Sunway Malls is also currently in discussions with Netflix to extend this activation to other malls under its umbrella. Loo Hoey Theen, GM of marketing and deputy head of business innovation, Sunway Mall told A+M that since 14 October, Sunway Pyramid has seen an overall increase of close to 10% of footfall as compared to the same day last week, bearing in mind that it is not the weekend yet. Additionally, the footfall around the activation area increased by 15%, she said.

With inter-state travel now allowed, Sunway Pyramid also expects the crowd to further increase this weekend by approximately up to 20% to 30% from last week. Inter-state travellers are also expected. While Sunway Pyramid's tenant sales reports are not yet in, Loo said generally, its sales recovery is growing faster than its footfall since it entered Phase Two and three, with the re-opening of more trades September onwards.

"The spending of our shoppers increased in tandem with a change in shopping habits where mall visitors are more purposeful and focused now as compared to pre-pandemic. We also hope that the Squid Game activation will benefit the sales of the surrounding shops in the area," she added. Currently, the mall is using social media and digital channels to promote the activation. 

When asked what Sunway Malls' overall marketing plans for 2022 are, Loo said the company aims to continue bringing meaningful, exciting and unique experiences to its customers. "With recovery of the economy underway, people are looking for more engagements, resumption of normality hence, the time is right to bring immersive experiences with much more innovation to our customers. Innovation and hybrid experiences is the way forward," she added. Sunway Malls recently launched a customer engagement hub for more innovative and engaging experiences with its audiences. The hub aims to improve both productivity and efficiency in managing Sunway's customers. 

Separately, in the US, debt relief startup Relief went beyond just trendjacking Squid Game on social media to distributing 10,000 Squid Game lookalike cards to individuals in New York and Miami. According to Adweek, the cards contained the same three shapes used in the series - a circle, triangle and square. On the other side of the card was not a number to call but a message that read: "There's a better way to get out of debt." It worked with Canadian agency Wunder for the activation.

Quoting Wunder's creative director Stephen Flynn, Adweek reported that the team wanted to "strike with something quick enough and relevant to the situation" to stir up conversations around debt as well as brand interaction.

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