Meeting at the mall is the next 90s-inspired Gen Z trend in new ad from Simon [Video]

In the past few years, you may have heard that malls are dying, fueled by the rise of e-commerce and younger generations’ access to smartphones. 

Simon Malls, the largest owner of shopping malls in the U.S., would like to disagree. And in fact, research shows that 48% of Gen Z and 78% of Gen Alpha prefer in-store shopping over purchasing on their devices.

A new brand campaign shared exclusively with Campaign US appeals directly to younger generations by showing the IRL experiences that are happening in malls across the country — connecting with friends through shopping, dining or simply congregating in the few remaining third spaces. 

Since malls are a hallmark of ‘80s, ‘90s and early aughts culture — decades that have long influenced Gen Z trends — it made sense to use nostalgia to bring the mall into the generation’s zeitgeist.

The work, Won’t You Meet Me …