PARRIS LANDING
Turning Industrial Chic into Sales Velocity

SM& was engaged by The Carlyle Group and Draper and Kramer, Inc. to develop a public relations program to support the sales and marketing efforts of Parris Landing and in the process transform the image of a 150-year-old property in the Charlestown Navy Yard into one of the most desirable places to live in Boston.

The conversion was on a scale that Boston had not seen in nearly 20 years. The five-buildings and grounds were more than a century old and in desperate need of an extreme makeover.

Carlyle and Draper Kramer had extensive national experience but were virtually unknown in Boston. They fully integrated SM& from the very start to create an attention-grabbing campaign that combined branding, aggressive media relations, marketing, and a stylish launch event to help make sure Parris Landing would break through the clutter and attract early interest and attention.

Philippe Starck and his company Yoo Ltd. were part of the design team, and SM& knew that leveraging their involvement would help create excitement and interest in the property. We set our sights on making Parris Landing a "must see" stop for potential homebuyers as well as design aficionados curious to see Starck's new work.

Our tools and strategies included continuous story pitching for market saturation and a unique press kit that reporters could use as a document tote with a picture of Starck giggling. We scripted and produced a video called "Industrial Chic: Philippe Starck's Parris Landing," to provide a flavor of the artist behind the reinvigorated property and to highlight the water and city views, amenities, and Starck's design concepts in his own words. We partnered with the Boston Design Center to create a day-long event culminating in a cocktail party at Parris Landing attended by 500 people -- from chic designers to city hall leaders to CEOs. The evening helped entice the media to cover the property and also served as Parris Landing's official debut.

We generated a steady stream of media from Starck's first visit to his triumphant debut in September and beyond, including 13 Boston Globe stories. Editors at the Boston Globe Magazine selected Parris Landing as one of the top "Best of the New" things in Boston.

Before public sales even began, hundreds of people pre-registered on the Parris Landing web site. Just nine months after going public, more than 200 condominiums were either under agreement or reserved-far surpassing the sales team's projected goal.

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