Customer
A major shopping, dining, and entertainment destination in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Built around discovery, the complex attracts guests not just for the stores, eateries, and movie theaters, but for the feeling of finding something new. That same spirit runs through the brand's marketing, and it's what they wanted their newest channel to feel like too.
Before Community, the team had never run a text program. Events, offers, and seasonal activations were promoted via email and social media. But the team wanted a way to reach their most engaged guests directly, especially for last-minute events and limited-time offers.
They found that direct line in Community, and built it around their existing loyalty program, tied to early access, exclusive events, and the chance to win prizes.
Challenge
Last-minute events and limited-time offers needed a channel that guests would actually see in time to act, and email wasn't built for that kind of speed.
Social media had a similar gap. It could build awareness, but it couldn't guarantee reach, and it couldn't hold real conversations.
The marketing team wanted a channel that was more direct, interactive, and felt more personal to help build stronger relationships with their guests and drive traffic to their tenants.
Solution
Community didn't launch as a standalone text list. They tied it to something bigger: their existing loyalty program. Joining meant early access to new information, invitations to exclusive events, and a shot at prizes they couldn't get anywhere else. That value proposition gave people a real reason to opt in and stick around.
Beyond a welcome text, new members get personalized recommendations based on their interests, which include family activities, dining, and entertainment. While the messages read less like generic blasts and more like conversations, they automatically route each subscriber toward the offers and events that match what they want.
Every interaction feeds the brand's first-party data on what guests respond to. The team then segments messaging around actual interest signals and sends different members different content depending on what they've engaged with. That shift, from generic to tailored messages, has become core to how the program runs.
“We wanted to show true value as the reason why someone would want to join and continue to stay engaged. That's why we tied Community to our larger [member] program. This continues to drive interest and growth while also retaining our membership and building a highly engaged and loyal group of fans.”
For the brand's fifth anniversary, the team ran a giveaway: text a keyword for a chance to win one of five $100 gift cards. They promoted the entry across every owned channel (website, email, social, on-site digital signage) and paid channels (paid social, display, search, radio, publication ads), pulling existing followers from other channels into the loyalty program while reaching new audiences across DFW.
Impact
The anniversary campaign, alongside a similar seasonal push, drove a 15x increase in text sign-ups. Community has become one of their most effective owned channels for driving awareness and traffic to both the website and individual tenants.
“One of our biggest wins has been audience growth and engagement. Community has become one of our most effective owned channels for promoting events and driving traffic to our website and tenants.”
A recent summer focused campaign asked members in the "Music Lover" segment about their music preferences. Each emoji and each reply then triggered a different follow-up: pop anthem lovers got invited to a Taylor Swift tribute concert, while fans with the reggae emoji got pointed toward a tropical themed night of live music. That campaign drove a 14.3% response rate and follow-up messages drove a 61% average click-through rate.
For a destination built on discovery, Community has become a key engagement channel for timely conversations that creates a more personal connection with their audience. Members expect the brand to have something worth texting them about, and show up when they do.
