$500,000 IN MEDIA COVERAGE
Hill Country Galleria
we’re storytellers > hill country galleria — leveraging mother nature to drive retailer acceptance
how butterflies and birds turned naysayers into raving fans
When push comes to shove (literally), our team knows how to take the high road when managing through crisis situations. With expert advice and guidance from our in-house PR team combined with our account management team, creative designers, and on-point copywriters, we are able to forge creative solutions designed to elevate the brand and connect with the target audience in more effective ways. Hill Country Galleria, a 152-acre, 1.3 million-square-foot lifestyle center, is located in the budding community of Bee Cave, Texas, just 16 miles west of Austin. The mixed-use project of retail, multi-family living and office space, was greeted with a mix of enthusiasm and hesitation from different stakeholder groups in the community and potential retailers.
The Point Group was tasked with developing a multi-phased, integrated marketing campaign that positioned the Hill Country Galleria as a lifestyle destination – live, work and play in one location – while maintaining the beauty and ecological integrity of the area. Our plan had to position the Hill Country Galleria in such a way that it attracted both national and local retailers to lease space in advance of the grand opening, and meet the needs of the family-oriented target audience, who were being bombarded by the “noise” of other competitors for their time, attention and dollars.
Crucial messaging and creative subtly addressed a multitude of stakeholders concerns – environmental, building aesthetics, and local retail competition. The marketing plan included a variety of methods to drive traffic and interest, starting with retailer leasing efforts and following through to consumer outreach. Our creative leveraged beautiful, eco-friendly visuals that demonstrated the uniqueness of the area, bringing it to life and making the connection to retail with taglines such as “Mother Nature Would be Proud ” and “Who Knew Mother Nature was a Fashion Diva?”
The first phase of our campaign focused on the all-important B2B leasing/securing retail tenants. We positioned the Hill Country Galleria as the centerpiece of the Hill Country, offering family friendliness/accessibility and touting the numerous amenities included in the property – town square with amphitheater, local library, movie theater, etc. It was important to distinguish the Hill Country Galleria from The Domain, an upscale competitor being built about 20 miles away, which featured high-end retailers such as Neiman Marcus, Juicy Couture and Tiffany. Our primary communications vehicles included a website, leasing brochure, email and digital campaigns. As retailers started to sign leases, we moved into the launch phase where we added our consumer target into the marketing mix.
Through a series of direct mail, outdoor, print ads, digital marketing and public relations, we laid the foundation for the week-long grand opening and continued to push Hill Country Galleria as a family-oriented shopping destination designed to be environmentally friendly and preserve the nature around it. During this phase, we added a consumer element to the website that included opt-in email communication, photo gallery, calendar of events and an interactive map with a store directory.
The strategic nature of the integrated campaign, accessibility to information and strong media relationships enabled The Point Group to achieve nearly 100 media stories ($500,000 in earned media value from online, print and broadcast coverage), a successful retail occupancy of 75 retail stores, and office leasing tripled within the first year. The campaign exceeded the business objective of 65% occupancy prior to the grand opening.
