We developed a key messaging matrix for the various audience segments and developed substantiation points around Circle’s Square’s vision and goals; this became an essential tool across marcomms. The matrix was bolstered with ‘fast facts’ which communicated the scale and ambition of the development in a tangible and engaging way.
Scenario planning and statement drafting also took place to prepare for potential crisis communications, including proactive comms to neighbours of the new site.
We announced the masterplan for the site and subsequent phases of development, including investment and construction milestones, through headline-grabbing media stories and social media content.
The Manchester Evening News was a key title to reach our audience, so we developed an exclusive content series with the title, giving it access to regular drone footage captured as the site took shape. We coordinated hard hat site tours for other key writers and organised interviews for the Circle Square team with trade journalists at events just as the BCSC retail conference.
Smoking Gun announced Circle Square’s landscaping plans with a pop-up flower stall on Manchester’s Oxford Road, where plants and flowers set to grow in the new neighbourhood were given away to surprise and delight passers by. Their reactions were captured in video to share with a broader audience across social media channels. Bouquets were delivered to key journalists to spread our message further and nurture key relationships.
In a second creative stunt and to underpin Circle Square’s commitment to arts and innovation, we joined in the city’s Literature Festival, distributing free books signed by festival authors both to the public and to workers on the construction site. This created a killer press shot of a workman suspended on scaffolding against the Manchester skyline, reading his book.
Finally, to engage the national property editors, we developed angles around the hot-topic Northern Powerhouse and sustainability themes.
Our campaign successfully launched Manchester’s new neighbourhood, building relationships with key influencers and stakeholders who would continue to follow Circle Square’s progress.
