We'd like to use this post as a platform to explore some funky, different - but above all else workable promotional ideas and strategies.

Here are a few dozen to get the juices flowing.

Why don't you add an idea or a comment by replying to this post? WHAT WORKED FOR YOU?

1. Book of sports coupons, issued to all local school- and sporting clubs. Certificates to be redeemed at the shop or shopping centre.
2. A Book of Bargains: Coupon booklets (cheque-sized) for complementary products. For example: Bride store and the jewellery and the shoe shop.
3. Random Act of Kindness in the mall. The centre team issues goodwill certificates & encouragement awards (special offers to individual stores).
4. Advent Calendar countdown at Christmas – with daily, changing special offers.
5. Busker’s festival – music store, can get the local schools involved.
6. Band Quest for new and upcoming (local) bands = free entertainment.
7. Create a secret acronym (Can you guess what LAJETR means, for instance?) Co-op radio campaign, the shopper must try and unravel the acronym, and the stores can give prizes away. A slow reveal over time in centre court?
8. Involve customers by running an online T-shirt design competition. Display & fashion show in centre.
9. Chocolate festival: Chocolate machine- sell marshmallows give money to a charity. Can do this during Valentine's – spend the average sale - get the marshmallow and dip it in chocolate. They give a donation – choose your “fave” charity.
10. MY-Tube festival (short film festival) working with computer stores, video store, movie house, art store, costumes & giftware (for props) – everything used in the film must be able to be bought at the centre.
11. Bingo – in store for suppliers – bingo cards with your products on, if one of the sales staff sells the product then get a cross on the card- card then shouts bingo and get the prize.
12. Hot “potato” - $ 50 in the pocket of the manager. If you make the average sale for the day, money goes into your pocket, someone else makes a higher average sale gets the $ 50 and the person at the end of the day with the money in their pocket gets the incentive money.  
13. Have a main prize for the week – employee who most often makes the average sale – gets the $ 100.
14. Recycling promotion- can combine with art project, display, and exhibition. They can post video clip on your website.
15. Photography competition: on line competition, portraying the community your serve – can have a voting booth in your shop, display the photos and let the people vote in the booth.
16. Drop off of clothes for charity and win a makeover. Organise with St Vinnie’s pick it up.
17. Puzzle promotion: handout puzzle pieces if the customer spends over the average sale - stick the puzzle on your wall inside the store, and as customers get pieces they stick it on the puzzle. A slow reveal of the puzzle image. Giveaways if they can guess the picture before it is completed. Give random prices away with puzzle pieces to stimulate interest.
18. Run a missing glove promo, send you customers one glove and they can get the other glove when visiting your store. Generate traffic, run promotion inside the store related to the missing glove-spend over – average sale- and you will go in the barrel to win the mystery glove price.
19. Run a karaoke fun bus – music store- spend – average sale- and win a spot on the karaoke but in the local area. Each contestant can choose where they want to set up the karaoke box and perform their favourite song.
20. Cinemas can run an “classic movie night” (old films) – start after 11pm at night- can promote with a store selling antique furniture, insurance for the Baby Boomer. Have to look for really old movies – 35 mm.
21. Cinemas can run a horror movie night every end of the month or at full moon and all can dress up and the movies start after 10 at night.
22. Cinemas/ camera shop provide a piece of a silent film and you have to write the words for it. Guidelines- It must refer to your shop and your products. Average sale – entry fee.