ICSC has developed a marketing campaign and branding that members can use to celebrate the return to stores, Main Streets and shopping centers. The association worked with a marketing agency and a focus group of member marketers to develop the “Back. Together.” campaign, which members can customize with their own logos and leverage in their own physical and digital channels.

The ICSC-sponsored campaign celebrates the relationships its members share with their customers and the integral role members play in communities across the country. Safely opening shopping centers, malls, open-air marketplaces and all the businesses within them is not just about getting back to business or about getting back to “normal.”  It’s about getting back to people, places and community: "We are more than hairstylist and client, we are more than store manager and customer, we are more than waitress and diner, we’re friends, we’re confidants, we’re family. And we’ve been missing each other. Maybe more than we ever expected. We all just want to be: Back. Together. And together, we’re bringing our businesses back to life and life back to our communities."

The campaign has three pillars, each of which members can use as they deem appropriate based on timing, geography and phase of reopening:

Welcoming with Responsibility & Reassurance

This branding indicates: While we’re thankfully welcoming customers back, we’re also embracing new ways of being together. We’re acknowledging that things are different and fostering new behaviors because when we do, we all feel safer, more secure and slightly closer to normal.

Celebrating the Unique Experience of Retail

This branding indicates: This is why we sacrificed. So we could make a difference. So we could get back to the experiences we love. These are the things we live for. These are the things that bring life to our communities.

Re-establishing Relationships and Rapport

This phase of branding indicates: It’s been a while, but we haven’t forgotten our customers. How could we? We know how she takes her coffee, how he cuts his hair, how they rock their clothes, and we couldn’t be happier to see each and every unique individual back in our businesses again.

ICSC senior vice president of marketing, communications, publishing and research Rae Logsdon wrote in an email to the association’s members: “We believe ‘Back. Together.’ appropriately balances the need to be sensitive to potential consumer anxieties with the need to be optimistic and enthusiastic about re-openings. The campaign showcases the relationships and the experiences that our shops and centers bring to life.”

ICSC will invite members to the Brandfolder platform so they can access a toolkit with the creative elements and brand guidelines. The association also will promote the campaign via its own digital and social channels.