2021 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Insights & Strategy

Ravel by CF (Ravel), the innovation team at Cadillac Fairview (CF), launched LiVE by CF (LiVE), a mobile application on June 17, 2020, the first and only app in North America that puts the mall and its directory in the palm of shopper’s hands. Bridging the gap between in-store and online experiences, LiVE helps shoppers engage directly with CF’s 19 shopping centre retailers as they navigate a COVID-19 world.

Focused on driving retail recovery and creating a seamless experience for consumers, the bilingual app provides real-time information on mall status and COVID-19 safety procedures; Fully digitized mall maps with industry-first multi-stop navigation; AI-powered search for one million products across 70+ retailers with click-to-buy; Prompts with exclusive offers, real-time in-store inventory and curbside pickup and delivery details; Direct link to CF Eats (food ordering portal) and CF Guest List (virtual queue service); and an Option for users to create a MyLiVE account to store user preferences, save favourite products and receive personalized offers and recommendations.

From discovery to delivery, LiVE supports retailers by delivering a seamless, frictionless shopping experience, providing additional avenues to connect for consumers and brands.

Execution

Recognizing the need for a digital platform to solve common in-property pain points, Ravel originally designed the LiVE app as an inspiration and discovery tool, slated to launch in March 2020. At the onset of the pandemic, research showed that shoppers were mission-focused as they headed to malls, aiming to complete their trips safely and efficiently. Ravel witnessed, first hand, a rippling impact on business operations and consumer confidence and sought the opportunity to reframe the app as a tool to support business recovery. By incorporating COVID-specific real-time information, the app became instrumental for shoppers who continued to shop at CF properties during closures, supporting retail curbside pickup or delivery.

The launch, supported by an agile integrated omni-channel campaign, targeting consumers, industry and internal stakeholders. Media relations and national press distribution was complemented by a dynamic social media and digital out-of-home campaign.

Results

Ravel successfully launched a groundbreaking app during the pandemic to facilitate safe, efficient shopping experiences and aid consumers during uncertainty. The program was the result of direct customer insights, earned and owned media practices accompanied by informative, creative assets and effective use of digital tools, surpassing all target KPIs: 220,000 downloads in first six months; +80% of users used the app outside of mall properties, proving ability to engage shoppers at home and on-the-go; Time spent per session averaging above five minutes, demonstrating strong user engagement; 118,821,910 social impressions and 58,675,296 national earned PR impressions.

Credits

Product:
Jose Ribau - Executive Vice President, Digital and Innovation
Laura Manes - VP, Innovation
Dave McLean - Director, Digital Product Development
Andrea McDougall - Product Manager, LiVE, Digital & Innovation
Sharma McCarthy - Product Manager, Venue
Tim Whelan - Product Manager, Data & Reporting

Agency Members at North Strategic:
Jessica Savage, Managing Director
Eric Allan, Account Director
Jessica Spremo, Senior Account Manager
Clinton Fudge, Account Manager
Kristen Philippi, Account Executive
Meg Sharpley, Account Executive

Product Marketing: Lindsay OBryan, Andrea Nickel, Sarha Arcand

Regional Marketing: Louise Della Fortuna, Meredith Blake, Andree Cord, Erika Jansens, Stephanie Hansen, Tim Fortier, Renee Sutherland, Sarah White, Jessica Roy, Marcel Gingras, Nathalie Bonneau, Sheri Secord, Shelby Dyer, Kelly Don, Renee Sutherland, Leanne Maas, Brittney Winter, Kathleen Hauschild, Julia Cameira, Jessi Stern, Carli Cole

Business Development: Jodi Clare, Victoria Niven, Matt Irving

Data & Technology: Katia Saenko, Keerthi Chandra Penumutchu, Aneesh Chakko, Evgeny Zaritovskiy, Milan Kliska, Christopher Tasker, Hilary Wu, Eran Frank, Jonathan Masterton, Chandan Kapoor

Legal: Blair Brooks, Nillie Tang, Ron Strathdee

Agencies: Adeptmind, Aislelabs, MappedIn, Konrad Group, Ivado Labs, nNovation (legal), North Strategic, GenSquared, Okta