THE DANFORTH APARTMENTS
& COLUMBIA PACIFIC ADVISORS:
MAKING A NEW APARTMENT BUILDING
A PART OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD
THE CHALLENGE:
When the team at Red Propeller approached us to collaborate with them on a launch campaign for The Danforth, we knew there would be challenges. Embedding a large new development into the fabric of an old and established neighborhood is no small task. Many people are resistant to new development and the changes it brings to a neighborhood. To combat this negative sentiment we were immediately drawn to the idea of creating a community-focused campaign that gave back to local organizations and businesses in Capitol Hill and First Hill. We believed approaching the building opening with a charitable component and maintaining a public facing openness would go a long way for mitigating any local displeasure directed toward the Danforth.
How to highlight the opening of a large new apartment building in a neighborhood that doesn’t necessarily like large-scale change?
OUR APPROACH:
Our concept for their launch campaign was called Live Well, Do Good, Have Fun. We would create a sweepstakes contest (featuring local experience prize packages) that would benefit three local nonprofits - Country Doctor, Seattle Humane Society, and Artist Trust. Each entrant could also submit a vote for one of the three nonprofits - and at the end of the contest the nonprofit with the most votes would receive an additional $2,500, on top of the initial $2,500 donation for partnering with The Danforth. We would use three methods for increasing awareness to the community: an event series, social media amplification, and wild postering to generate street-level knowledge of the contest.
We called the community-focused campaign “Live Well, Do Good, Have Fun”.
Social media graphic designed for one of the nonprofit partners
Event Production:
To promote the contest, we produced a series of events partnering with neighborhood businesses and nonprofits. We invited local influencers to attend and promote the contest by broadcasting their support on social media. These events included an exclusive contest launch party at OOLA Distillery, an outdoor pet adoption event, a closing celebration with the prize presentations, and a grand opening party at The Danforth for the staff. Each event was designed, organized, marketed, and produced by our team.
Social Media:
We crafted The Danforth’s social media presence on Instagram and Facebook by creating a content mix that highlighted the building’s amenities and focused on their local community connections. Our team conducted a series of eight interviews with local business owners and turned each into a short editorial piece that would be shared on the social media channels. The interviews and posts connected The Danforth with its purpose and established goodwill as the literal anchor between two of Seattle’s most vibrant neighborhoods.
Our neighborhood interviews & features on social media helped build connections between The Danforth and the local community.
Wild Postering:
A crucial addition to our contest promotion efforts was the wild postering campaign portion that spanned 8 weeks and covered many high-traffic locations in Seattle’s city core. We designed and printed the posters before unveiling them throughout downtown Seattle and Capitol Hill, where we calculated their exposure would be the highest. Based on traffic data from Seattle’s Department of Transportation, these posters earned a potential 3,864,000 impressions during the length of the campaign.
Our posters earned over 3 million potential impressions in 8 weeks.
OUTCOME:
Our fully integrated awareness campaign brought in over 1300 unique entries to the promotional contest in just three months, and generated a buzz of local interest about The Danforth’s opening. Based on feedback we received from community members and business owners, many people were excited to see an apartment building market their opening entirely different from other properties by tangibly immersing themselves in the values of the neighborhood. The Danforth now sits at the nexus of Capitol Hill, First Hill, and the Central District and has become the home for many residents since its opening.