A Romanian Easter at Iulius Town

Planning for Easter in the Iulius network of malls across Romania is a rather complicated matter due to the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic; as well as the fact that in Europe there are two distinct Easter celebrations – in April according to the Catholic faith, and in May according to Orthodox Christian practice. Iulius Town marketing guru Angelina Paisa shares the plans.

Is Easter a peak trading period in Romania – and how big a role does religion play in the activities around this time of year?

Around 86.5% of the people in Romania are Orthodox-Christians, and Easter is one of the most important religious celebrations over the year, being marked by many customs and traditions. One such tradition refers to wearing new clothes, thus generating added interest for the fashion segment. The character of the Easter Bunny, a figure that emerged in recent years as a trend adopted from abroad, has expanded this tradition to include gift giving for your loved ones.

In 2021, Easter is celebrated on 2 May by the majority of Romanians, therefore the marketing actions will focus on April, with particular emphasis on the new collections of fashion brands.

Easter is usually a celebration that brings increased footfall into the malls we operate and a growing trend in sales. However, this year we have to manage expectations, given that the balance we were able to achieve with great effort is threatened by a growing trend in infection rates in the cities where we operate

What was the effect of Covid-19 on Easter last year, and how has the recovery been?

In 2020, Romania was under a state of emergency during Easter, which meant that only strictly necessary stores were operating, and circulation restrictions were also in force, so the impact was immense. Our expectations for this year are not very optimistic either, as the number of new cases infected with SARS–CoV–2 is constantly on the rise. Quarantine measures have already been implemented in some cities, which entails major limitations for conducting our activities, as well as in terms of the number of visitors as a result of mandated restrictions, while in other cities we are drawing closer to or already under the “red scenario”, which means halting the activities of the hospitality and entertainment industries, which are some of the most severely impacted domains. Yes, we are still feeling the effects, but we are fully committed to providing our public with spectacular campaigns and events, per usual, to boost their morale and offer them pleasant experiences.

As the situation is prone to change from one day to the next, it is difficult to plan any actions, particularly those that entail the presence of large audiences, so we adapt as we go depending on how the situation evolves in the five cities where we operate. To this end, we have already started to roll out punctual actions before Easter, actions that are organised in completely safe conditions. One such example was showcasing the Mars art installation for the first time in Romania in the park at Iulius Mall Cluj-Napoca, scheduled through to the end of March. The installation was signed by British artist Luke Jerram, and has a seven-meter diameter created at a 1:1.000.000 scale, which means that every centimetre of the model corresponds to a 10 kilometre distance on the Red Planet. This is a very special attraction for the general public.

Those are extremely challenging circumstances for a marketing team… not knowing whether your campaigns can go ahead as planned. But what do you have planned at Iulius Town, should everything go well?

Easter is all about family, memories, smiling, shared joy with all your loved ones, and gifts. Thus, in spite of the whole context, we have planned a series of actions and campaigns that focus on bringing people joy, both in the Iulius Town Timișoara mixed-use project, and in the Iulius Mall network in Cluj-Napoca, Suceava and Iași.

This year, a particular emphasis will be on promoting the new spring collections in line with the consumer profile in each of the four cities. We will have campaigns for all the malls based on online fashion catalogues showcasing season trends and created using items from the brands in the malls, along with inspirational video content. Given our interest in sustainability, a particular direction will focus on blending beauty with natural and eco-friendly items. As we do every year, there will be prizes for shopping, thus encouraging more visitors to observe the tradition of buying something new to wear.

This difficult time had us spend more time with our families, slowing down the pace of our everyday life and enjoying the presence of our loved ones. For this reason, we seek to roll out actions that encourage playtime activities for the whole family and we will hopefully be able to organize such actions. The fascinating world of LEGO games will be installed in Iulius Town Timișoara and Iulius Mall Cluj, where the public will be able to build miniature cities, while Iulius Mall Suceava organizes Easter themed weekly creative workshops.

At the end of April, Iulius Town Timișoara will accommodate the Check Art Festival with living statues, buffoons, giant puppets and mimes. A flower fair will also be organized here, as spring is the season when nature is reborn and when we want to decorate our relaxation spaces. Furthermore, right before Easter we will also have an Easter egg hunt for the children, who will be rewarded with sweet prizes.

Iulius Mall Cluj will have the “Easter Market” with painted Easter eggs, traditional foods for the Easter dinner and other themed items, as well as the “Wedding Days” fair for brides and grooms to be.

Given its location in a region that is renowned for its observance of traditions, this year Iulius Mall Suceava seeks to create a new tradition – to donate blood and save lives via a campaign that encourages this heroic act.

As for Iulius Mall Iași, the mall with the most youthful spirit given its locale in the heart of the largest university campus in the region, this location will accommodate an exhibition of giant sneakers, a passion of the youth, and, if possible, we will organise a festival-type party with a DJ and food truck.

We hope to be able to provide our clients with these experiences and to go back to a state of “normalcy” where we are able to get together at large-scale cultural, sports or artistic events such as those we used to enjoy before the pandemic. Our projects are at their most beautiful when they are filled with happy and enthusiastic people that breathe life into our parks and make the malls vibrant with positive energy.