Westfield Shopping Centers court tech-savvy BTS crowd

Los Angeles — Westfield, an Australian-based company that operates 47 U.S. malls, is leveraging mobile technology and social media to promote its back-to-school campaign.

The company is touting itself as a destination not only for apparel and accessories but also as the place where students can get supplies and the latest technology. Aiming its marketing efforts at the mall crowd, the company is also hosting special events and offering prizes both online and at its centers and stores and positioning itself as a place where students can connect with friends.

Beginning in August, the Westfield back-to-school campaign will take place on the weekends at 10 centers across the country, including Westfield Brandon, Westfield Fox Valley, Westfield Connecticut Post, Westfield Annapolis, Westfield Montgomery, Westfield Oakridge, Westfield Culver City, Westfield Santa Anita, Westfield Southcenter and Westfield North County. Oversize, colorful school lockers, which contain prizes, showcase retailers’ merchandise. For four consecutive days — or for eight consecutive days at select centers — shoppers will have a chance to “unlock” combinations, and enter to win daily prizes online and at the participating center. Daily winners who open a locker by texting their center’s special code to ‘51515’ can win an iPad Mini and other prizes.

“During the back-to-school season, Westfield knows busy parents are on a mission to find value and kids are on the hunt to find the latest and coolest items,” said Kirk Thompson, VP Marketing, Family, Community and Customer Service at Westfield. “Our goal is to deliver a fun and engaging experience, making it easy and convenient for our shoppers to be successful during back-to-school.”

The company is also inviting anyone who can’t make it in person to participate by following local mom bloggers and fashion vloggers, selected from each of the participating Westfield locations, who will be showcasing the Westfield back-to-school experience on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Additionally, Westfield center Facebook fans will have the chance to win a $1,000 back-to-school shopping spree simply by “liking” their local center on Facebook.