OVERVIEW
I was the sole designer on this project from start to finish: research, ideation, production and completion. To ensure that my design vision aligned with the client's needs, I collaborated closely with the business development manager and other key stakeholders within the company. The result was an impactful design that resonated with the client's target audience.
The Memphis Depot Business Park, a former military facility, was redeveloped into a 4.2 million square feet industrial park, containing 43 buildings across 275 acres, with the aim of attracting various production, transportation, and storage facilities. However, the park lacked a marketing plan to reach its 15-year occupancy goal, and traditional press releases were not enough to attract stakeholders. I was tasked with designing an advertising campaign to target corporate stakeholders and stand out among established business parks. The campaign appeared in B2B newspapers, magazines, websites, and attracted corporate stakeholders, resulting in a 30% increase in occupancy and an 80% increase in inquiries. The ads received tons of positive feedback, indicating a successful reintroduction of the park to the public.
KEY GOALS
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Increase inquires and tours because of the high conversion rate (most companies that toured the facility had a high probability of signing a lease agreement)
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Introduce the redeveloped business park to the public and communicate to the market its readiness to support and house new businesses
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Create a visually enticing advertising campaign
MARKET
RESEARCH
With the help of the business development manager at Memphis Depot Business Park, I familiarized myself with the company. We reviewed the facility’s history, talked about the ideal clients they wanted to attract, and also toured the facility.
I conducted a market analysis of what other business parks considered industry standards for advertising and marketing space availability. What I found were industry websites, newspapers, and magazines with text-heavy articles, press releases, and advertisements that resembled real estate listings and added to the visual clutter. White space was necessary for the advertisement to stand out.
IDEATION
Based on my research, I decided to focus on a few design principles that I thought would have the greatest impact on reaching the target audience.
White Space: Due to the cluttered nature of the publications, having adequate negative space will make the ad stand out and attract the viewer’s attention.
Hierarchy & Proportion: By enlarging a bold statement, which also doubles as our call to action, we draw the viewer in and then provide them with more detailed information in the subtext.
Contrast: The contrast of the nontraditional industrial colors, white with a dark background (and the inverse), continues to support attracting the viewer’s attention and communicates that something new, fresh, and innovative is happening at the MDBP.
The selected campaigns were Mind Your Business and Your Business Here, which ran for one year locally and nationally across business journals, industry newspapers, magazines, and websites.
