One South Dearborn, Chicago IL
Challenge
One South Dearborn, developed by Hines in 2005, had vacancy for the first time when major tenant Constellation Brands was lured away by the Citadel Center. Since the property had always been leased up, most brokers weren’t considering it for their clients. Ownership needed to get in front of the tenant rep community again.
The marketing was to focus on law firms and professional services, the rent being out of reach for startup / tech or creative firms. The building offered efficient floor plates, open interior spaces with perimeter offices, all of which are of interest for law/professional firms. The building offers some upgrades and a good amenity base, but faces competition from Wacker Drive trophy buildings, which are also closer to the Ogilvie Transportation Center.
Architect
DeStefano Keating Partners Ltd.
Developer
Hines Development
Owner
CA Ventures // Vanderbilt JV
Management
Hines Management
Leasing
Cushman & Wakefield
Developer
Hines Development
Location
One South Dearborn, Chicago
Property type
Commercial Office
Launch Date
November 2005
Stories
40
Square Feet
828,538
Sustainability
LEED Silver 2006
Energy Star 2007
Solution
Torque’s approach was to emphasize spec suites that show off the refinement of interiors, featuring perimeter offices with glass walls that allow natural light to shine throughout the space.
We repositioned the asset as the place where you can perform well, with the campaign line: “Land Here and Soar.” With that, we established an energetic and appealing tone, without too much levity or playfulness, with a refined balance of power but not too youthful.
Campaign elements focused on a video series that features a paper airplane flying through the building, creating motion and movement. We promoted the video with email, where we tested various elements to increase views. Supporting that were broker giveaways based on the flight theme. The first was a drone, a big hit with brokers who shot and sent back videos of themselves in response. Appealing to their thirst, we also sent a “beer flight” as a more fanciful flying metaphor.
New spec suites are coming online in June and will be the emphasis of the 2020 campaign. To date the program has been successful and Torque continues to test and learn through the marketing initiatives, which also provide a canvas for the leasing team to test and refine their sales approach.
