Sturegallerian wanted to increase visitor numbers and create buzz among Sweden’s fashion elite.However, the target group wouldn’t be swayed by advertising so a large campaign was not the solution. The idea was to create Sweden's first pop-up store instead. Designers Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair, fashionable and up-and-coming, were the perfect partner.

To reach the hard-to-please target, the news launched on Sweden’s most credible fashion blog, HotSpot, and then spread like wildfire amongst Sweden’s fashionistas.The campaign created unprecedented buzz and a media reach of approx. 9 million, in all prominent fashion media. The second campaign month, visitors increased 37% compared to 2008.

The Goal1. Increase the number of visitors; due to the recession, sales of luxury goods had been dropping and consequently, visitors to Sturegallerian were declining.2. Increase visibility in media and contexts where Sturegallerian hadn’t been present before. By appearing in key fashion media the attitude of both media and the desired target groups would change.

Swedish designers Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair were deemed as the perfect collaboration partner; highly fashionable, credible and still up-and-coming.

To make an impression and match the designs, the store had to be an experience itself; both a fashion and design experiment. Innovative firm Guise designed the new store, using 2.5 km of black seatbelts and in just three days!To reach the hard-to-please target group, news launched on Sweden’s most credible fashion blog, HotSpot and then spread like wildfire amongst Sweden’s fashionistas. Other PR was aimed at fashion media, daily papers and TV.The store opening was set for Stockholm Fashion Week when all industry heavyweights are in town. Sturegallerian hosted the opening party to create media exposure and word-of-mouth. To ensure maximum publicity, the new collection was displayed at the store, something normally reserved for exclusive media.

In-store communication included posters and a calendar counting down the days to the store opening.

Both goals of the campaign were reached, and results were actually beyond our wildest dreams.From hardly being visible in fashion press, all prominent Swedish fashion media, including important magazines such as ELLE and Cosmopolitan, as well as Swedish TV, now covered Sturegallerian and the 90 day store experiment. The campaign created an unprecedented buzz in the fashion industry and a media reach of approx. 9 million.In the middle of a global recession Sturegallerian increased the number of visitors significantly. The second month of the three-month campaign the number of visitors in Sturegallerian increased 37%, or by nearly 200,000 visitors, compared to the previous year. The total increase over the campaign period was an impressive 16.5%.

With a limited media budget, a large ad campaign was not the solution. Moreover, we knew that the city’s fashion elite and its followers wouldn’t be swayed by advertising. To be credible Sturegallerian had to instead be associated with something truly fashionable.The idea was therefore to create Sweden´s first pop-up store in collaboration with a leading fashion brand.

The store, unique in both design and the fashion it exhibited, would link Sturegallerian to high fashion and prove that Sturegallerian but could be hip and that it was worth visiting again. It could also be the platform for an integrated campaign including PR, blogs, in-store communication, events and social media.

It’s January 2009, and the world is in the middle of a global recession. For the retail sector times are especially grim. Moreover, the once exclusive Sturegallerian shopping galleria has a serious image problem; it’s no longer the fashionable shopping destination it used to be.