CASE STUDY: GOING NATIONAL WITH A BELOVED LOCAL BRAND

Client:

Post Properties, founded in 1971, one of the nation's largest owner-developers of apartments.

Assignment:

Post Properties hired Jackson Spalding in 1997 as the company repositioned its development model from traditional suburban "garden style" apartments to high-density urban infill development. Creating goodwill with influencers in urban areas was crucial to the success of this new development style, but Post Properties faced an identity crisis outside of the Southeast.

Strategy/Implementation:

Jackson Spalding handled national communications efforts for Post. The goal was to raise awareness of Post's mission to build sustainable neighborhoods in cities across the nation. Jackson Spalding began by laying a foundation, including building a media kit and reaching out to key media. Steps included auditing media to understand preconceptions about Post and targeting select podiums for key executives. In order to preserve the Post brand, all communications and messages conveyed the consistency of quality and service, key hallmarks for Post's brand. Jackson Spalding updated Post's logo and provided consistent messages for executives to use in media interviews. With a foundation established, Jackson Spalding began to introduce influential real estate reporters to the "new" Post.

Results:

Major feature stories ran on the business pages in all of Post's local markets, and in most influential real estate trade journals. Distribution of a new press kit and releases on future developments provided additional media opportunities, and national media attention followed with placements on CNN, and in Delta Sky, The New York Times, USA Today and more. Today the company is widely known and respected nationwide as the leading developer of pedestrian-friendly, urban developments, with communities in many major cities. Since it began its public relations campaign, cities have begun to actively recruit Post as a preferred development partner for vacant urban land parcels.