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DTSTART:20260312T193000Z
DTEND:20260312T203000Z
SUMMARY:Mall Rats Reborn: How Hot Topic is Using Entertainment to Revitalise Retail
LOCATION:Hilton Austin Downtown / Salon E
DESCRIPTION:Malls have long been a place for people to meet\, gather and hang\, and Hot Topic is celebrating that cultural legacy. As Gen Z flocks back to IRL hangouts and “third spaces\," the brand is transforming shopping centres into entertainment stages. In a widely successful\, experimental pilot\, Hot Topic has launched two social-first sitcoms shot entirely in malls\, casting creators from the emo\, gamer and cosplay scenes that form the brand's DNA. It’s part of a wider shift toward entertainment-first marketing\, echoing moves by brands like Dick’s Sporting Goods\, which have built in-house studios to power their growth. Hear from Hot Topic and their agency partners Small W•rld and Tracksuit about how to pull this strategy off successfully.
URL:https://sxsw.md/sessions/2026-03-12/pp1150592-mall-rats-reborn-how-hot-topic-is-using-entertainment-to-revitalise-retail
UID:pp1150592-mall-rats-reborn-how-hot-topic-is-using-entertainment-to-revitalise-retail@sxsw.md
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