Xanadu mega-mall redefines retail sponsorships

The Xanadu Meadowlands mega-mall, when it finally opens some time in 2008, will be unique for several reasons. For one, it will be one of the biggest malls in the country (and certainly the biggest in the area). For another, it will be located along the extremely high-traffic segment of I95 in NewJersey close to the New York metro area. It will house the country's first indoor ski slope. And it will be built for branding from the ground-up.

According to this article in Advertising Age, the mall's owners, Colony Capital have maximized the number of marketing-related revenue streams from the project, from providing advertising opportunities on one of a dozen large-format outdoor electronic displays to making deals with up to five "presentation partners," who will be allowed to lend their name to a specific zone within the mall (imagine the "Cosmo GIRL! retail accessories wing", or maybe the "Coca-Cola Food Court"). While the idea seems to be just bizarre enough to be plausible, as Dave Yacullo, Director of Omnicom Group's Outdoor Media Group in New York notes, "it's really going to come down to how they can parlay those sponsorships into meaningful opportunities that would build the brand and move product."

Tags: Xanadu, Meadowlands, electronic billboards, out-of-home advertising, branding, naming