Brand Activation Propels Doyle Lease-Up

Dynamic Living in the Heart of Dinkytown

Opening in the fall of 2022, Doyle offers upscale housing for students at the University of Minnesota. This lifestyle-oriented property will be a community for students to thrive with functionally furnished suites, social building amenities, and sustainable features — all in a premier Dinkytown location.

Apartment floor plans range in size from one to four bedrooms, with single and double occupancy options. Student-focused amenities provide students with the fun and freedom of off-campus living while providing a sense of community. Enclosed study nooks, a podcast booth, social media pods, rooftop deck, hot tub, and fitness center are just a few of the lifestyle-aligned amenities featured at the property.

Brand Meets Campus

North Bay Companies came to Authentic during the branding process to jumpstart leasing with a brand awareness campaign and a new website. A collection of on-site design details, campus events, and promotional items work in conjunction with the digital experience to propel Doyle into the lease-up phase.

Bryant Hughes, partner at Authentic, explains, "We knew we wanted to create a very engaging and interesting start of the leasing process via the leasing office. We also knew that we wanted to give potential tenants swag, collateral, and goodies both to incentivize leasing and build brand awareness. We put together a brand activation strategy where the brand can come to life."

Bringing Leasing to Life

With Doyle's proximity to campus, an on-site leasing office provides an opportunity for potential tenants to engage with the tangible aspects of the property before the physical building is complete. Interior and exterior design elements enforce the brand with signage, murals, and collateral.

"What brand activation helps us do is bridge the gap between the information of the lease offerings and amenities with the actual experience they can expect at the property," says Chris Arnold, partner at Authentic. "We've all walked into a space — like a restaurant, hotel, or food hall — where it feels good; you feel connected to the vibe. Brand activation can create that moment for the tenant: to make them feel connected, at ease, welcome. Almost like that property is speaking their language, and it aligns with their values. That's the power of brand activation. That's the secret sauce we're trying to unlock."

Student Engagement

Engaging the college community is a driving force of Doyle's brand activation strategy. On-campus events present an opportunity to connect with potential renters directly. A variety of promotional items were created to extend Doyle's brand physically. Shirts, water bottles, and other swag items incentivize students to interact with the brand and spread the word to friends. Experiential marketing endeavors like dorm storms and housing events are also driving awareness for Doyle among students.

Online, a 'Win It Wednesday' campaign engages the audience online through weekly giveaways. Viewers are encouraged to interact with Doyle's content on social media platforms to win prizes.

Making the Most of Your Investment

By going above and beyond the standard deliverables that traditional projects rely on, you can create a unique and immersive experience — building loyalty around the tenant acquisition process by crafting culture and language around a brand.

Hughes shares, "In terms of ROI, the brand itself is valuable because it can be utilized in so many ways as the cornerstone of the project. If you're not putting it into the wild, you're underserving the work itself. It's an important step to make sure a project is distinct."

Learn more about this property at DoyleApts.com and view the case study to see more of Authentic's work on this up-and-coming project.