Real Estate|Construction

Marketing - Promotions

Situation

University House, a nationwide developer of college and university student housing communities, sought to create a lease renewal campaign that would garner attention and excitement, while increasing the number of new leases and renewals. communications 21 managed the process - from composing state-compliant contest rules to executing community-specific e-mail marketing and coordinating the grand prize delivery.

Challenge

Students are responding less and less to traditional marketing, and c21 needed to find a creative way to identify with this transient market. c21 also worked to overcome the fierce competition from on-campus and other off-campus housing options.

c21 Solution

c21 and University House capitalized on the nostalgia of the 1980's to capture the interest of college students. Door hangers and flyers, designed with florescent pinks, greens and oranges, depicted 80's icon Alf and fads like leg warmers and rubix cubes.

c21 developed a promotional contest package for University House, and managed the logistics of its "Sweet Moula" Sweepstakes. Residents who signed a lease within a specified time period were entered into a $1,000 drawing at each of the 22 participating communities, and also were eligible for a nationwide $10,000 drawing. To generate excitement and buzz, students were encouraged to uncover the $10,000 winner's identity by following a series of clues posted on the University House Web site each hour on the day of the grand prize award. At the end of the month-long renewal campaign contest, the nationwide $10,000 winner was surprised by 80's TV icon Alf and a VISA check card presentation, which was captured on video and aired live on the University House Web site.

Results

Pending the announcement of the $10,000 winner, traffic to the University House Web site increased by nearly 500%. Despite heavy competition with universities' on-campus housing, as of June, almost 80% of University House's available units for Fall 2006 had been pre-leased.