For decades, groundbreaking ceremonies have been celebrated to mark the beginning of a development project and to thank those who made it possible. While the purpose of a groundbreaking event hasn’t changed how CRE companies can leverage the milestone and their investment has evolved. By partnering with R&J Strategic Communications, the West Side Square Development Fund leveraged the groundbreaking of its first luxury multifamily project in the United States to increase marketplace awareness and project visibility in a crowded real estate market.
The West Side Square Development Fund tapped R&J Strategic Communications to plan a groundbreaking for West Side Square, its first luxury multifamily project in the United States. R&J Strategic Communications utilized a strategic blend of earned, owned, and shared content to garner significant visibility for the milestone in a crowded real estate market and lay a solid foundation for the client's continued work in the market.
Any experienced developer knows that the path from initial project vision to shovels in the ground is typically not an easy one and can often take several years. As was the case for West Side Square Development Fund (WSSDF), a commercial real estate investment group led by four leading Canadian commercial real estate firms (LanTree Development, Lanterra Developments, Altree Developments and Westdale Properties) as they sought to bring West Side Square, a 477-unit luxury mixed-use building to the Jersey City market. Navigating a pandemic, supply chain shortages and resulting in numerous project multiyear delays, the primarily Canadian-based development team also faced the challenge of limited regional brand recognition compared to other developers operating in the Jersey City marketplace.
With nearly 40 years of commercial real estate communications and marketing experience, R&J would leverage its unique understanding of the development process and landscape to create an integrated market strategy to increase awareness of the West Side Square project. Behind this integrated marketing approach, R&J would establish a strong brand position for the project and the development group within the New Jersey commercial real estate market. The strategy included a multichannel mix of: