It is well known that a quality product and strong branding are mutually reinforcing phenomena, as evidenced by the eight Estonia’s biggest marketing creative competition Golden Egg (Kuldmuna) nominations for Viru Keskus. In addition to facelift of its corporate brand last year, the center has also stood out with its downtown’s largest Foodhall opening campaign, a sparkling fall fashion campaign, and an experimental form project called Padjapiir, which was created in collaboration with the Estonian Academy of Arts.

The active use of marketing and communication tools by the center in the past year was primarily justified by the numerous changes and innovations (such as Viru Food Hall  and wellness floor Ilusfäär) that needed to be brought to the attention of customers. The center’s actively evolving offerings needed to be reflected visually and verbally by telling the story of renewal and renovation in a way that would be memorable, recognizable, and relatable to fast-paced city dwellers.

Kristel Sooaru, Viru Keskus’ Marketing and Communications Manager: “For us, quality marketing and communication are primarily tools for achieving the best possible customer experience and conveying a clear offering. This became particularly important when we launched projects that have not been done in Estonia before (such as Viru Food Hall). Marketing helped support the center’s visitation during the peak renovation. Here we acknowledge our partners, with whom we can reach a new level in both the center’s physical and digital brand spaces without leaving any gaps in between.”

Overall, Viru Keskus has received initial recognition from Estonia’s top marketers with four projects earning eight special nominations:

• Corporate graphics, or the renewal of the brand language and wayfinding (BOND).
• The launch campaign for Viru Food Street, “Break the rules” (Optimist), in three categories  – The big campaign, POS material and the creative text.
• Campaign for autumn fashion (Age Creative) in two categories. 
• Padjapiir (Pillows Brink), an experimental form project in collaboration with Estonian Academy of Arts. Read also here.