Today's task might seem a little bizarre but it's something that has given me all kinds of inspiration for my blogs - it involves visiting a Mall.
What did you learn (if anything) from this task?
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ProBlogger 31 Days to Build a Better Blog » Daily Tasks
Day 13 - Visit a 'Mall' (really... a Mall)
(46 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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Fantastic, we did that 18 months ago as a preparation for that week's discussion with "The Bucky Call" and the results were nothing short of amazing.
There is so much to see with your eyes, and Darren gives a few hints of what to look for... and so much more going on, invisibly, that can only be "seen" with your mind's eye: Observe people's behaviors; what are people doing? what in the store design makes them "naturally" behave that way? Can you see some of the invisible processes going on? What patterns of behavior can you see? What does it tell you about the habits of the people concerned? What did the mall designers include to produce these behaviors?
Hope every one enjoys it.
Fred(*) a study group on Bucky Fuller's Critical Path
- Thoughts to change humanity's rendezvous with destiny -
Posted 1 year ago # -
theRealThing01
MemberIt seems for me that you are introducing the flagship content technique :)
Mall used to place at the ends or in the corners the huge big-name stores. These are anchor units, the flagships of the mall. For many people they are a destination in their own right, or a big part of the decision process in choosing where to go.
The smaller units fill in the gaps, gaining walk-by traffic as people move from one anchor to another or from an anchor to the food court.This tehnique could be applied to blogging. Content that draws visitors like a magnet. A resource that people love to talk about, making people stay longer on your blog, subscribe to rss feed, link to, etc.
Posted 1 year ago # -
You know, I just wrote about this in the 16 steps I want to use to get my blog on a roll. My "big plan" to get the blog to grow to 500 visits a day, every day...
Well I'm off the the mall now... let's see what we can see out there...
I bet it has a lot to do with visuals...
Mind the beginner A blog on beginning, it sounds so simple but it’s quite complex
Posted 1 year ago # -
I rarely get out of the house, so this is a good idea. I wonder what I will learn.
Posted 1 year ago # -
It's 25 miles to the nearest town with a decent shopping centre - I think I'll give this a miss and read a book in the sunshine instead!
Regards, Kevin
Web2 and More - Bringing Technology and New Ways of Working Together
http://web2andmore.net/blogPosted 1 year ago # -
It seems obvious but one of the things that struck me was the use of the color red as an attention getter.
Also the fact that people like to touch the products as they go along — even if it’s not something they have to feel or read — like in the Aveda store, people will finger the shampoo bottles etc. And of course in clothing stores, people put their hands on the products. I wonder if there is a digital equivalent to this behavior?
Another thing I wonder about a digital equivalent — in the bookstore some books are turned spine out and some are turned face out. Obviously the ones with the full cover showing are more attractive on the shelf, more likely to get noticed. This goes in clothing stores too — the outfits that are hung facing the consumer vs. the ones hung sideways. So, is the lesson that you can fit more onto a shelf by arranging them sideways, but you can actually sell a product by turning it face out?
No post ideas, but I did take my kids to a farm yesterday also, and came up with a post idea there. Mall, organic vegetable farm, what’s the difference, right? :)
Little Blue School: This is how homeschoolers really are.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Ha ha ha, I did that already, am I exempt? Like do I really have to ;-)
When I did write a post bassed on a visit to the mall it was because i was blown away by the video proffessional equipment that was available for purchase as a walk in. I just had to blog about it because I am into video - it is my passion - it was like I was a kid blogging about my first time in a candy store.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I can't make it to the mall today, way too far and rainy weather. But I learned more through reading Darren's post on his visit to it, than if I had gone there myself!
Buddha Trance - Riding the wave of higher consciousness - :: [think love] ::
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'll have to get back to you on this task, as I am ill and am not able to complete today's task or any task for that matter. Maybe I'll select one of the previous tasks to do again since I will be indoors for most of the day.
Madlab Post Discover indie films and entertaining facts!
Posted 1 year ago # -
It sounds weird to see an Aussie saying 'mall' but I digress.
Sorry to hear you're sick, Nicole, I'm in the same boat. (Not that any "malls" are open on Sundays in my small town of around 1.5million people in Perth in Western Australia..oh oh now you're going to start a rant.. *cough*)
Doing a previous task again is a very good idea, and I'll head out shopping on Monday.
Beyond Beeton: Household Management for the Modern Age | Cooking | Budgeting | Weight Loss | Work/Lfe Balance
Posted 1 year ago # -
I went to what passes for a mall here. I'm not sure what I learned that I could apply to my blog, but I did learn a lot from your original post on your visit, Darren.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Well I ended coming back with a new tripod. I am blaming you :)
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'm staying away from the mall!
I blog about getting out of debt and personal finance! Alright.. alright... even though i could easily go to the mall and not buy anything, I'd rather simply not go!
Just make sure all you mallrats don't spend a bunch of money you were planning on ;-)!
Posted 1 year ago # -
"Umbrella Salesmen in Sydney" is an Excellent example and brilliant reference for new bloggers. http://wirelessphonereviews.blogspot.com
Posted 1 year ago # -
I am not too interested in this task for two reasons. One is that I think malls are big ugly impersonal things and two I had a chocolate shop for a while which taught me very little I didn't already know about people. I am very curious though why people feel the need to touch a product and then put it back down. They used to pick up my candy and squash then put it back down without a word and walk off. Of course, once the candy look damaged, no one wants to buy it.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I think the fact that people are refusing to go to the mall says a lot more than people realize!
Ahh, I'm a shopaholic, that doesn't spend money right now...but the mall is awesome. There's so much stuff there for the blog. If someone is a feminist blogger, you really should post about the Hello Kitty campaign that MAC is doing...or how they have all of their models dressed in little girl dresses. I'm sure Jean Kilbourne has brought it somewhere -- the sexing of little girls.
The mall, and various other public places, has something for everything, hence why it is fabulous for material. You can see the blatant marketing messages, but you can also see the messages about our society.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Darren you anticipate everything... I am always amazed by the timing and topic of each assignment. I like the idea very much and since I am not a regular mallrat, this will be an incentive to revisit a couple of my local malls. I live in Westchester County, NY and we have the full spectrum of malls; from dull to dazzling.
Have a Happy Sunday!
Tempus Fugit -Carpe Diem! I need this reminder...
Posted 1 year ago # -
One thing I noticed was a very busy mall, a lot of people and difficult to find parking. Yet very few people carrying bags. Meaning more lookers than shoppers. For blogging, a lot of visitors but nobody doing anything to make us money.
I pulled the trigger and rode the bullet
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks Darren. You've given me a great excuse to do my favourite hobby. People watching. Locally we have Kingston, west London, where there's a mall, but also a lot of shopping streets. There's some great cafes where I can sit, watch, and make notes.
In the UK though you've got to be careful. I use a camera to take photos as a way of taking notes. I did this awhile ago taking photographs of different advertisements. The next thing I knew I was surrounded by security guards. They then escorted me from the mall.
Apparently I could have been a terrorist.
ODTAA: One Damn Thing After Another Startups Let's Talk About Books &n
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks for the great idea, Darren!
Most of my blogging ideas come when I'm away from the computer. But usually during a shower, or when playing pool with my friends at the local bar. Yet I never thought that going to a mall could be so useful!
What I learned is that you need to know your target shoppers (or blog visitors) and place your shop well, try to make it attractive (good blog design, proper domain choice and popularization strategy).
Posted 1 year ago # -
Pencil and paper - I am old fashioned enough to carry them EVERYWHERE. I don't use the mall per say, but I do get loads of inspiration from people watching and listening. Funny enough, Saturday's post was inspired by Thursday's trip to Munich and the response of the landlady at the guest house to our presence. Couldn't resist, the fodder was too good. NOt a typical "mommy" entry but...as in the mall exercise...sometimes real life is too good NOT to write about!
Thanks for the tips though - I'll be more observant next time I'm shopping.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I see a lot of anti-mall sentiments here. I think what Darren meant, was to go somewhere there will be a variety of people that you could observe. A coffee shop would probably do or even a busy park.
I happen to LOVE the mall. So I went to NorthPark Center here in Dallas. It is perfect because it has a movie theater and stores that range from Barneys ($$$$$) to Bakers Shoes ($). You can see people from every culture and walk of life. There are several restaurants, where I can sit, enjoy a cup a tea and watch people.
On this trip, I thought about the type of people who might be my readers and where they might shop. First, my movie blog..So I headed off to Victoria's Secret to see what women were doing there. I came away with serveral good ideas about movies and a woman's quest for youth, beauty and love. As well as a few other ideas.
For my concierge blog, since it deals with Dallas, I eat at a restuarant which I plan to review in the next few days.
I added all of these ideas to the new notebook I bought while I was at the mall.
Just Chick Flicks
@ClarabelaPosted 1 year ago # -
All I can say is that the largest mall near me was virtually empty, so while I tried to spot marketing trends it was difficult to know what was working and what wasn't. Every store had a giant sale sign inside the front entrance but hardly anyone was shopping. If I'd gone 24 hours earlier however, I could have watched a live casting for the next season of The Bachelor. Why, oh why didn't I go the day before? I can't even imagine the number of snarky posts I could have gotten out of that...
Posted 1 year ago # -
This is a very unique tip. I haven't had time to participate in this step, unfortunately, but the posts here and the comments in the blog post have helped much. I figured we would learn much about presentation, hooking people into our posts, keeping their attention, product placement and so much more doing this task! I must do it asap! There seems to be many things we can learn from real life situations and actual business buildings that we can apply to our blogs. :)
Deliciae :: {{ knowledge . appreciation . love
Posted 1 year ago # -
This part of Spain doesnt do much in the way of malls but the principle is sound. ie the hypermarket has come to town and that is where I spotted my first Spanish language magazine dedicated to gardening. It's not very good and I suspect it has come off the back of an american magazine but it is a start and confirms my earlier research "look, sit, think, write". I then had an interesting debate with a young spanish business man about the growth of garden centres in this area which are generally filled with things wanted by expats. What one learns of course is that the Spanish have beautiful patios and window boxes and the beginning of spare money....
Posted 1 year ago # -
This is my favorite assignment so far just because I think the power of observation is so important.
I heard someone once say that great artists notice things that other don't. I think it can be said of anyone who succeeds in their chosen field.
Great sales people notice body language that average sales people miss. Great bloggers perhaps notice the trends that average bloggers miss.
~ Leisa
Posted 1 year ago # -
Hi Darren,
I noticed a lot of window-shoppers, carrying very few purchases.
This is a sad sign of the times. The malls are becoming places of social gatherings for the retired and the unemployed. People would be better off using social networks online. ;-) I will use this in my blog.http://coolwired.wordpress.com/
Keep smiling! @ Coolwired
Posted 1 year ago # -
Ah! If only I could have had the day off to do the mall research. But that might have been a tough sell with the boss. Will have to give D13 advice a try on the weekend. I like it - interesting and sure to get the creative juices flowing : ).
Posted 1 year ago # -
I hope I won't get an F for going slightly off-assignment. I read this post right before leaving for a trip to Boston to see my father-in-law run in the Boston Marathon, so I spent the bulk of my day in the car, on a featureless highway. I then forgot about the assignment until Monday, when the marathon actually took place. While waiting to spot my FIL running by, I couldn't help marveling over a girl standing next to me, who cheered on just about every runner going by, using the names writter across their shirts in order to personalize her cheer. I was so moved seeing these runners, on the last leg of their journey, hear their name being called and suddenly be infused with a final burst of energy. It inspired a post on building support groups as a freelancer.
Steph Auteri, Freelancedom
Posted 1 year ago #
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