Case Study: Arsenal Yards
Arsenal Yards Establishes a New Neighborhood and Tells a New Story
Boylston Properties and Wilder were building something new. Aiming to transform the old Arsenal Mall into a 1-million-square-foot mixed-use development and vibrant new neighborhood called Arsenal Yards, they needed a new brand voice and identity to match, as well as fully integrated marketing campaigns that established Arsenal Yards as the next great place to shop, dine, play, work, and live.
Three new buildings, as well as restoration and redevelopment of two original historic arsenal buildings, include 300 apartments, hundreds of thousands of square feet of life science and lab space, a hotel, and over 50 retailers, restaurants, a grocery store, and a movie theater. This was not your parents’ shopping mall—it deserved an identity of its own that would drive excitement and interest in this new neighborhood nestled alongside a 5-acre park and the Charles River.
Along with needing to build awareness and establish Arsenal Yards online, work was also required on the ground. Help was needed to beautify a construction site that simultaneously housed retailers and restaurants in phased stages of opening. Meanwhile, creative messaging and signage needed to tell the new story, educate visitors, and build anticipation.
The Assignment
Arsenal Yards approached Boathouse to help them achieve their long-term goals for their space. These included:
Cohesion: Develop a unified brand story to hook B2B and B2C audiences.
Originality: Stand out from other mixed-use spaces in the Boston area, including four major competitors nearby.
Visibility: Convey the opportunity to experience an urban feel with the advantage of a suburban setting.
Community: Establish the project as a community capstone.
The Strategy
To tackle this unique challenge, Boathouse devised a strategic plan that centered on four pillars:
Recognition: Develop a branding platform and integrated media plan to introduce Arsenal Yards to the community.
Brand Identity: Build the Arsenal Yards brand while creating a community feel that retains an urban vibe.
Acquisition: Drive foot traffic to the property as retailers opened over the various construction phases of the project.
B2B: Help make Arsenal Yards an appealing leasing opportunity for other retailers.
The Execution
Building on Boylston Properties’ foundational vision of what Arsenal Yards could be for its community, Boathouse executed an integrated brand marketing campaign that captured attention, informed consumers, and attracted potential tenants.
Boathouse developed an array of physical assets that created an identifiable look, feel, and tone for the Arsenal Yards brand while supporting individual tenants throughout phases of opening.
While physical assets increased awareness and enticed new customers and tenants, an always-on media campaign supported these efforts with assets in the digital realm. And with access to real-time data to highlight optimization opportunities, the multichannel media campaign delivered over 70 million geotargeted impressions.
Balancing the physical and the digital resulted in a resounding success for Arsenal Yards.
“By focusing on physical marketing and signage needs paired with digital marketing and online awareness, Boathouse has used stunning design, consumer-based creativity, lots of humor, and a little Scotch tape to help us through transitional years of construction with our customers,” says Bill McQuillan, Founding Principal of Boylston Properties. “And they made it easy and fun. We appreciate their second-to-none account management, responsiveness, and overall pursuit of our business goals.”