Got an Ugly Holiday Sweater?

A tacky holiday sweater – and most of us have one – can make for an innovative mall marketing campaign.



Inland US Management, Inland Southwest Management and Inland Pacific Property Services, subsidiaries of Inland Western Retail Real Estate Trust, have kicked off an ugly sweater contest on its holiday website, HolidayFunForAll.com, developed in partnership with Studio 318 out of San Diego. Contest participants are asked to answer a few basic questions and upload a photo of their worst “knitmare” to the website.



Winning entries are awarded prizes, announced on Dec. 28. Just as fun, website visitors can scroll through the gallery of submissions and enjoy an array of other people’s ugly sweaters.



“Ugly sweater gatherings have become so popular that we thought it would be fun to give our shoppers a venue to show them off,” said Cherilyn Megill, VP of marketing for Inland Western. “Our Holiday Fun for All website provides not only a place for our ugly sweater contest, but also fun gift ideas, downloadable shopping lists, recipes and a book of holiday traditions.”



Shopping centers participating in the ugly sweater contest include Midtown Center in Milwaukee; The Brickyard in Chicago; John’s Creek (Ga.) Village; Placentia (Calif.) Town Center; Promenade at Red Cliff, in St. George, Utah; Eastwood Towne Center, in Lansing, Mich.; Huebner Oaks, in San Antonio; Oswego (Ill.) Commons; Shops at Boardwalk, in Kansas City, Mo.; Saucon Valley Square, in Bethlehem, Pa.; Central Texas Market Place, in Waco, Texas; Maple Tree Place, in Williston, Vt.; Shops at Legacy, in Plano, Texas; Southlake (Texas) Town Square; and Southpark Meadows, in Austin, Texas.

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