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TORRE

creative & digital marketing case study.

Torre is an innovative student housing community in Austin, Texas. It is located in the highly competitive West Campus district near the University of Texas at Austin and features unparalleled floor plan variety, smart home technology, modern amenities, and stunning Austin views.

pre-leased 8 months

50%

Prior to opening

ranked

2nd

Most signed leases
for west campus market

the problem to solve

Launching a successful new student housing brand in Austin meant contending with plenty of competition in the West Campus district. The client needed an unforgettable brand identity that would differentiate the new community from its competitors and highlight the development’s unique advantages. That brand identity needed to then be applied across a variety of assets in order to wow students as well as parents, driving early buzz and generating leads as the property prepared to open for pre-leasing.

the dream

The client hoped to establish their new community as the most sought-after student apartments in West Campus as they approached their Fall 2021 opening. Along the way, their first goal was to be 50% pre-leased by January 2021.

the strategy

naming & branding

To begin, we needed to create an exceptional brand experience that would speak to the target audience in the Austin student market. Leveraging our intimate knowledge of the West Campus market as well as painstaking market research including student focus groups and secret shopping the West Campus competition, we helped the client team select the name Torre. Meaning “tower” in Spanish, this name would speak to Austin’s multi-culturalism while also offering a nod to the UT Tower which serves as an icon of the university.

Next, our design team got to work on a logo as well as brand guidelines that would bring Torre to life. During this process, bold color blocking, geometric patterns, and a youthful, irreverent, tell-it-like-it-is brand voice came to define the Torre brand’s look and feel. These developments ensured that Torre would stand out from its competitors while also speaking to the no-BS sensibilities of

web development

With the brand identity developed, it was time to establish Torre’s digital presence so that the client team could begin earning pre-leasing leads. To get up and running quickly, we first launched a landing page that could help generate early buzz and provide a way to capture leads. A full website was also launched in tandem, complete with resident portal, floor plan availability, FAQs, a parents page, and more.

While creating these assets, we took special care to incorporate Gen Z-inspired turns of phrase, animated page elements, and custom web design that highlighted the community’s key differentiators. Floor plan variety, townhome-style apartments, furnished terraces, rooftop spaces, and home automation each got extra space to shine through our custom web design, copywriting, and development.

print media

To bring the Torre brand into physical reality, print assets were next on our list. A construction wrap helped take advantage of the visibility of their location just 2 blocks from campus, generating early buzz soon after the development team broke ground. Business cards, stationery, brochures, flyers, and folders were also designed and printed so that on-site leasing experts could start converting leads in their temporary leasing office on The Drag.

temporary lease space design

While Torre was in development, a temporary lease space with model unit and conversion-optimized, branded design would give the on-site leasing team a place to offer tours, convert leads, and start pre-leasing. We designed custom leasing office graphics and oversaw their installation to ensure that the Torre brand rang loud and clear to all who entered the doors (as well as the foot traffic passing by).

social media

An engaging social media presence is a must for any brand with a Gen Z audience. We helped the Torre team set up its Facebook and Instagram accounts and earn followers through strategic hashtag use, intriguing profile and post copy, and brand voice instructions that helped the management team take over confidently from there. As part of these efforts, we initiated a drip campaign teasing the announcement of the new high-rise using the hashtag #eyesupWestCampus in order to generate excitement and intrigue around the new brand.

seo content writing

In order to establish strong website SEO from the beginning, we created a blog for Torre’s website, which we outfit with monthly blogs incorporating excellent on-page SEO to boost their website’s ranking in relevant search results.

THE RESULTS

that proved our strategy worked.

Our comprehensive and collaborative approach to brand development and creative collateral helped the Torre team hit the ground running and establish a one-of-a-kind brand within the West Campus market.

Not only does the Torre team enjoy the benefits of an iconic brand that’s perfectly tailored to their audience of Gen Z students in Austin but their ability to apply that branding consistently using clear brand guidelines and custom-created assets empowers them to achieve ever-increasing brand awareness as time passes. In fact, Torre already has over 3,000 followers on Instagram prior to opening—that’s almost twice as many as their leading competitors.

And all that awareness translated into signed leases as the Torre team kicked off their pre-leasing season. The client leasing team hit their first major milestone on time to become 50% pre-leased in January 2021. In fact, their one-bedrooms and studio floor plans are completely booked for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Not only that, but Torre is currently ranked second in the West Campus market for most leases signed.

received

4

Design awards

instagram followers increased

2x

As their leading competitors

CONTACT

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