Pyramid Management Partnership

In 2018, The Salvation Army in upstate New York achieved an impressive milestone by raising $1.5 million through its Annual Red Kettle Campaign in communities surrounding the Pyramid Management Group Portfolio. Notably, 14% of these funds—approximately $213,000—were raised solely within Pyramid’s footprint. In some cases, localized Red Kettle campaigns in Pyramid malls contributed between 25% to 34% of their campaign goals, underscoring the significant impact Pyramid Management Group locations have on their communities.

Recognizing this success, I approached Pyramid on behalf of The Salvation Army  in early 2019 to discuss the results and explore further partnership opportunities to drive meaningful change in local communities. This collaboration resulted in a mutually beneficial relationship, featuring several innovative initiatives:

Cross-Portfolio Text-to-Donate Campaign: This campaign not only raised funds for The Salvation Army but also provided Pyramid with valuable metrics to effectively price similar campaigns for vendors and retailers in the future. Additionally, Pyramid’s malls gained ongoing visibility as sponsors at Salvation Army events through logo inclusion.

Employee Volunteer Opportunities: Pyramid facilitated volunteer opportunities for both mall and retail employees with The Salvation Army. These opportunities could now be prominently featured in each Pyramid location’s leasing book, enhancing tenant understanding of Pyramid’s corporate social responsibility efforts.

The Incredible Indoor Snow Show at Destiny USA: This premier holiday event, held each weekend between Black Friday and Christmas, featured magical indoor snow in the Atrium. User-generated content was displayed on the main atrium screen, accompanied by holiday-themed, animated Salvation Army ads and text-to-donate information. The event generated significant social media buzz, benefiting the community and increasing visibility for sponsored partner content.

Destiny USA Website Slider

Unexpected Events

On the night of the preview for The Incredible Indoor Snow Show, an unexpected incident led to the mall’s temporary closure, deterring shoppers for several days. However, the following night’s premiere was a success, despite limited attendance. We captured the event on video, showcasing the joy and festive atmosphere, which helped entice shoppers to return and continue their holiday shopping.

Partnerships thrive on mutual effort. In the short term, we dedicated extra time and energy to attend the event, coordinate bell ringers, and produce a polished video for Destiny’s social media channels. This video successfully enticed shoppers to gradually return and resume their Christmas shopping, demonstrating the power of collaborative marketing.

To maintain momentum, we produced another video later in the campaign, highlighting the excitement of The Incredible Indoor Snow Show and announcing an additional show on Christmas Day.

As a result of our input into the partnership, Pyramid offered the possibility of an additional event along with space at its flagship Destiny USA location and whatever resources they could assist with. We quickly responded with the idea of a Battle of the Bells with local mascots to raise funds in the red kettles. We handled the design and promotion along with the event itself while Destiny’s marketing team made calls to secure the mascots and a DJ!

Battle of the Bells

Highlights:

  • Local mascots, including Otto Orange, the Syracuse Crunch’s Crunchman, and WonderWorks Destiny’s Professor Wonder, competed to raise the most donations.
  • Attendees could donate to their favorite mascot’s Red Kettle, with the mascot raising the most funds being declared the winner.
  • DJ Bella J energized the crowd with a kids’ dance party, leading up to the announcement of the winner, Otto Orange, following The Incredible Indoor Snow Show.

 

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates the power of strategic corporate partnerships and innovative PR initiatives. By collaborating with The Salvation Army, Pyramid Management Group not only contributed to significant community impact but also enhanced its brand visibility and corporate social responsibility profile. This partnership serves as a model for how businesses can work together to achieve greater social good while driving business objectives.