The Judging Process

Before preparing your entry, please consult this checklist to ensure eligibility and adherence to the basic format requirements.

Eligible Shopping Centre Entrants

The programme is first and foremost a recognition programme for shopping centres and shopping centre companies. Although we welcome the work of advertising agencies, consulting firms and other support companies, all entries must originate from, and be submitted by, a recognised shopping centre and/or shopping centre owner, developer and/or management company.

Dates of Implementation

The majority of your programme must have been implemented between 1 January 2025 and 13 May 2026.

Language and Currency

All entry contents must be written in English or accompanied by an English translation. All references to costs must be made in SA Rands.

Duplications

Segments of an overall marketing campaign may be entered more than once, with a different reference to the category section only, i.e. category areas A - K as outlined previously. The stipulated entry fee will be charged for each entry.

Award Eligibility

The Footprint Shopping Centre Marketing Awards Committee and SACSC officials will make all eligibility rulings. Both reserve the right to reclassify, recategorise or disqualify entries, as well as remove any ineligible items that might be contained in an entry. All decisions are final.

Footprint Publicity

Footprint Shopping Centre Marketing Award winning entries will be featured in Shopping SA published by the SACSC, and on the SACSC website - www.sacsc.co.za. Your entry constitutes permission for SACSC to reproduce, copy, publish and display the entry material in any format it deems appropriate for the purposes of advertising the winning entries. Please evaluate your entry for publication appropriateness with regard to confidential and proprietary information prior to submission.

3rd Party Acknowledgement

Acknowledgment must be given to any 3rd parties involved eg: concept may have been initiated or may be a joint venture with a radio station. This will not penalise the entry, if necessary acknowledgment is given.

All entries must have a centre or company classification. The classes 1 - 4 outlined below identify these. Your classification is determined by the amount of overall retail selling space in your centre, including vacant space. This includes all square metreage contained in official gross leasable area, including department store and other anchor store space, ice-skating rinks, entertainment centres, movie theatres and all peripheral space engaged in retail enterprise (excluding office or hotel space). You must be able to provide official documentation of this space upon request.

Entries must also state GLA of centre and must disclose the marketing budget for the entry and the total marketing budget for the shopping centre (this information will be kept confidential). The marketing budget for the shopping centre must include any marketing specific salaries and retainers and must also include Christmas decor.

Your entry must be placed within one of the following classifications:

  • Class 1: Up to 15,OOOm2
  • Class 2: Between 15,OOOm2 and 30,OOOm2
  • Class 3: Between 30,001m2 and 60,OOOm2
  • Class 4: Above 60,OOOm2

Each category will have to fulfill the normal entry criteria:

  • Marketing objectives and strategy
  • Creativity
  • Tactics and implementation
  • Cost-effectiveness
  • Impact and results
  • Centre Productivity
  • Retailer Productivity
  • Sales Promotions and Events
  • Public Relations
  • Advertising

Each category will be given the opportunity to focus on one of the following:

  • A. Strategic Marketing
  • B. Tactical Activation
  • C. Grand Opening/Expansion/Refurbishment
  • D. Corporate Social Responsibility
  • E. Social Media
  • F. Public Relations
  • G. Brand & Tenant Partnerships
  • H. Customer Services
  • I. Emerging Technology
  • J. Business-to-Business
  • K. Best Placemaking

A. Strategic Marketing

A big campaign idea using multiple marketing channels.

B. Tactical Activation

Campaigns and activities designed primarily to generate footfall or sales.

C. Grand Opening/Expansion/Refurbishment

The marketing of the opening of a new centre, or the re-launch of an existing scheme.

D. Corporate Social Responsibility

Projects which aim to benefit the centre's catchment area or local community.

E. Social Media

Acknowledging projects where social media is at the centre of the project.

F. Public Relations

Campaigns centred around the communication of key messages in the media, human interest stories and crisis management comms.

G. Brand & Tenant Partnerships

Rewarding relationships between tenants, third party brands and sponsorships which have achieved positive marketing results.

H. Customer Services

Campaigns and initiatives involved in customer service and guest experience.

I. Emerging Technology

Projects which have technology at the heart of the programme.

J. Business-to-Business

Campaigns targeting a business audience to raise the profile of assets and leasing opportunities.

K. Best Placemaking

Celebrating temporary or long-term innovations which add to the placemaking experience where people shop, live, eat, work or play.

The Footprint Marketing Awards committee will review and assess all entries for eligibility and qualification of a minimum standard for judging. This committee may reclassify or recategorise entries and may remove elements that do not meet the entry requirements. Entries that differ substantially from the entry guidelines will be disqualified without prior notice to the entrants.

An adjudication committee, made up of a combination of shopping centre and general advertising and marketing practitioners, will adjudicate and score all eligible submissions according to official criteria in order to determine award winners. Committee members will not review entries for their own companies, nor will they judge entries where there is a possible conflict of interest.

Judges reserve the right to withhold an award, should the entries not meet the standards required to be eligible for an award.

Marketing Objectives and Strategy

  • Based on fact - not opinion?
  • Directly linked to the situation?
  • Was a clear problem or opportunity identified that the plan could realistically address?
  • Did strategies appear realistically capable of accomplishing goals?
  • Were the strategies business based, i.e. owner's interests considered?
  • Are/were the goals specific, time based?
  • Can the goals be measured quantitatively? If not, can qualitative goals be measured objectively?

Tactics and Implementations

  • Were the tactics used appropriate to the strategies?
  • Was the implementation appropriate and consistent with the objectives, strategy and tactics employed?
  • Was a high level of competence and professionalism exhibited in the implementation?
  • Did the entry properly document all the claims made, i.e. was it believable?
  • Were materials and documentation appropriate for achieving the desired results?

Creativity

  • Are the strategies original and innovative?
  • Did solutions maximise the opportunity to succeed?
  • If the programme was new, did the entry find a new twist?
  • Were the advertising elements effective, as opposed to simply novel or attractive?

Cost-Effectiveness

  • Did the amount appear to be a wise use of the centre/company funds?
  • Did results obtained merit the expense made?
  • Were creativity and resourcefulness shown in the budget without compromising quality and ability to get results?
  • Was there clear "bang for the buck"?

Impact and Results

  • Was strong detail provided in results documentation?
  • Did results link to original objectives?
  • Are the results credible?
  • How did the results impact on the centre?
  • Were the interests of the owner of the shopping centre well served?
  • Is this entry worthy of emulation by the rest of the industry?