Real Estate Case Study

The Rouse Company

THE GOAL

In 1984, The Rouse Company identified a need for a public relations firm to build a media relations program to create center-based brand loyalty and position the merchants of these respective centers as authorities in the field of retail. The PR campaign for Rouse includes all of the urban and suburban shopping centers in the Baltimore Metropolitan area including Harborplace & the Gallery, Mondawmin Mall, Owings Mills, White Marsh, The Village of Cross Keys, The Mall in Columbia and TowsonTown Center. These centers wanted to be the only place for consumers to shop during peak shopping seasons.

THE APPROACH

• Since all these centers are owned and managed by affiliates of The Rouse Company, the media relations approach is individualized as the nuances of each center are different. For instance, Mondawmin Mall offers a unique combination of national retailers, individually owned specialty shops and service offerings including BGE, Motor Vehicle Administration, Social Security Administration, banking and health services. The Village of Cross Keys is almost wholly comprised of one-of-a-kind shops.
• WHA developed the persona of a Retail Trends Consultant to exclusively shop the centers and offer the top gift ideas for each respective media audience. For instance, the area light pop radio station, with a primarily female audience, will learn about gift items for men, teens and coworkers.
• During peak shopping seasons, the team works with marketing managers to maximize the center's exposure during the holiday season through media relations messages that include the Premier Shopper Club and its benefits, gift ideas via a Retail Trends Consultant and special holiday events.
• WHA serves as an advisor during times of crisis at all the shopping centers.

THE RESULTS

• For the past eight years, the Baltimore media community has looked to the centers of The Rouse Company as the leaders in retail and shopping trends. Each year on "Black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving that is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year, television stations, radio stations and print reporters begin their respective coverage at 6 a.m. when the malls open.
• While the façade of Harborplace & The Gallery is internationally recognized as Baltimore's Inner Harbor, locals once viewed the center as a tourist destination. Today, through media relations efforts, merchants have enjoyed a 14.5% sales increase in traffic from the downtown office workers and area residents.
• Cumulatively, the centers average more than $250,000 in non-paid media annually. Harborplace & The Gallery's annual print media impressions are more than 20 million.