Shopping centres, love 'em or hate 'em, they are now a major part of all our lives. Shopping centres are now destination venues, complete with restaurants, cinemas and some even have gyms and medical centres!

Bluewater, of of the most innovative retail and leisure destination in Europe, is giving brands the unique opportunity to win a two-week branded “take-over” of its space, with a media value of up to £300,000.
 
On top of this, it is offering a second and third opportunity for smaller brands to receive a six-week use of a Pop-Up Shop worth £50,000, or a week in a site of their choice at Bluewater plus supporting media worth £30,000.
 
In the past the space has been used by Virgin Media 'SpeedWeek50'. The campaign consisted of a weeklong experiential event to launch Virgin Media's new broadband service. This included a personal appearance from Jenson Button during which he drove “hot laps” in a Mercedes around a bespoke track. So far this has generated over £3.1m in PR value.
 
Pete Davis, managing director of getmemedia.com, whose company is currently providing a platform to present this promotion to brands, said: “Being able to take over the most high-profile shopping complex in the country is a fantastic opportunity for any brand. Moreover, it’s opening up the space to smaller brands, too. Something that would usually be beyond their advertising budget is within reach of being theirs.”
 
Reinforcing the stats, Davis added: “Bluewater attracts 28 million consumers annually. Of these visitors 72% are ABC1 and spend an average of £131.49. The Blank Canvas Brand Challenge aims not just to get brands and agencies thinking about new ways to engage with Bluewater consumers, but also giving them the platform to break through with innovative marketing solutions.”
 
The three prizes up for grabs are as follow: The Large Canvas Prize is the freedom to do what you like with Bluewater for two weeks; The Medium Canvas Prize is a six-week use of a Pop-Up Shop and The Small Canvas Prize is a week in a site of their choice at Bluewater plus supporting media.
For all winners, the only expense is the production cost.
 
Brands must submit their innovative proposals for how they would engage with the Bluewater audience online by 30th Nov 2010. Judging will take place on 5 December, and the winners will be announced by 14 January 2011.
 
For more information visit http://www.getmemedia.com <http://www.getmemedia.com/ideas/competition-brand-bluewater-and-win-a-media-value-of-250000/fox-kalomaski.html> or register at www.blankcanvas.uk.com for your entry place.