URW bolsters in-house media division
A leading shopping center developer and operator is expanding its in-house media arm.
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) has announced the expansion of Westfield Rise, the company's in-house media and experiential division, to include URW's media and experiential business across the United States and Europe. Westfield Rise was originally launched in Europe in 2022 to connect brands with shoppers.
"With Westfield Rise, we're giving brands a global stage across the world's most influential cities,” said Anne-Sophie Sancerre, chief customer and retail officer for URW. “This expansion lets them reach nearly a billion visitors at our centers through one powerful platform. From Los Angeles to New York to Paris and beyond, we're helping our partners show up in high-impact ways – all while creating standout experiences and stronger connections with consumers."
In addition to the expansion, Westfield Rise is launching its Immersive Experiential Display (IXD) Network in the U.S. Debuting at URW's shopping centers country-wide in 2025, the network features state-of-the-art media displays across 10 of the company's flagship shopping centers.
Featuring nearly 300 eight-foot LED screens, the network is designed to perform from the inside out, eliminate environmental glare, and offer a quarter more screen space while being nearly 20% more energy efficient. Each screen features dual cameras for real-time audience measurement and options for personalized interactive experiences. Powered by Quividi, a real-time audience measurement platform, the IXD Network measures privacy-respectful consumer analytics that are key to informing consumer engagement and advertising performance.
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"Everything we create is designed to elevate the consumer journey, foster meaningful engagement, and turn consumers into passionate brand advocates,” said Kristen Jackman, senior VP at URW and head of Westfield Rise in the U.S. “Our new IXD Network will revolutionize and redefine digital out-of-home by giving brands flexible buying models with guaranteed measurement and more advanced creative capabilities. And this is just the start of what we have planned for 2025 and beyond."
URW operates 67 shopping centers in 11 countries, including 39 which carry the Westfield brand name. These centers attract over 900 million visits annually.
