December 10, 2024
Jill Renslow – CMO – Mall of America
The Power Of Partnerships: What C-Suite Leaders Need To Know Now, Jill Renslow – CMO Mall of America
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What combines a Nickelodeon Theme Park, Coco Melon-based attractions, an aquarium, hundreds of world-class retailers, including a Rent-The-Runway outlet, and what could be the largest indoor waterpark ever? If you are thinking major amusement park, like Six Flags or Disney World, future guests on the show—it may be a surprise to hear we are talking about a mall. THE MALL.
The Mall Of America is the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, which just this black Friday weekend alone had half a million visitors. At almost six million square feet, with over 500 stores over 30 million people come from all around the world to visit every year. This place has something for everyone, and to walk us through how it got to this size, we have the Chief Business and Marketing Officer Jill Renslow with us for this episode of The Reboot Chronicles. Join us as we explore how Jill stays at the forefront of change, challenges, and innovation—why she is so passionate rebooting “America’s dream mall”—and what you can learn from it.
Rebooting The Mall Rulebooks
Previously on The Reboot Chronicles, we talked about how certain industries are falling out of favor due to the rise of online shopping and technology as a whole. Industries like franchised book retailers and outlet malls have had to do massive reboots to pull customers away from their computers and back into brick-and-mortar stores. The Mall Of America is no different, they are rebooting themselves to be even more of “an entertainment destination”, and mall only in name. Jill even notes that “When we opened our doors back in ‘92 we were about 80% retail and 20% attraction. Today we’re 65% retail and 35% attraction”.
Keeping The Mall Of America Eco-Friendly
With an establishment that has something for everyone and is close to six million square feet in size, full of theme parks and retail stores, you may think this is a nightmare for the ecosystem. Well, Mall Of America has that covered as they do not have a central heating system, instead, they have miles of skylights that provide a generous amount of heat from the sun, and they use natural body heat to be as Eco-friendly as possible. Since this mall is so big and supports so many people all of which are giving off heat, they can maintain a cool 70 degrees, in Minnesota no less. Although Jill does mention that “in the winter, it does get a little chilly, but it definitely warms up [with] more body heat“
Lessons For Future And Current Retail Owners
Mall Of America has shown that malls can still be relevant in an age where technology and online shopping exist. For those struggling to increase engagement, Jill’s advice is to realize “that change is inevitable, and the one thing you can control is how you deal with change.” We could talk all day about companies that fell to the wayside because they were too stuck in the mud about their business. It can look daunting, but “step in those spaces that haven’t been explored before,” for that is where new and exciting things can happen and put you back on the map.
