An Atlanta-area real estate group wanted to attract buyers for 38 new townhomes in Historic Roswell. I worked with a marketing team to develop brand messaging to mirror architecture of old-world brownstone with modern fit-and-finish. The townhome community name (“Providence in Historic Roswell”) was inherited from a newly published book containing love letters linking two 1850s-era Roswell residents; this backstory added distinctive historic charm to marketing materials.
A new nonprofit operating in two towns was receiving urgent requests for service expansion. It needed a strategy to communicate via several channels, with multiple audiences, across a large area, and on a tight budget. While serving as its executive director, I identified cost-effective, impactful ways to reach volunteers, donors, and grant-makers about the work. With my team, we devised a brand identity, crafted quarterly newsletters, a film, email campaigns, a website, an annual appeal, press releases, and internal e-newsletters. Within a few years, the nonprofit expanded from two to 12 towns, from a five- to six-figure budget, and its volunteer ranks doubled.
With the financial crisis in full swing, a long-time banking client was hoping to boost customer confidence with a message of strength. Primary Capital Mortgage’s ad would appear online and in trade press. I wrote a headline with a twist on the familiar phrase “hanging on by a thread”; the body copy stressed staying power. Of course, a single ad didn’t save PCM. The long-term, creative effort of many people meant that PCM survived the financial crisis, and even boasted a “Great Place to Work” ranking. I wrote for PCM during and after the tumult, including in 2016 when PCM hit a record $1.95 billion in originations, positioning itself for an enviable buyout in the next year.
Real estate services can be a little impersonal: phone trees galore. Two partners at a new firm wanted to offer boutique-level attention to stand out among competitors. Building a brand from scratch, I worked with a design team to place the two partners front and center. The headline, “When you hire Cott & Lambert, you get Cott & Lambert” stressed no-nonsense personal attention. After launching, the firm performed lease acquisitions or purchase/sale transactions in excess of 30 million square feet with clients ranging from Fortune 100 industries to local and regional entrepreneurs.
Emory University’s Goizueta Business School undertook a major donor campaign after a top-to-bottom rebranding of the institution. Staff members delivered gifts to 50 prospective donors: a handcrafted wooden box that nestled a glass sculpture. I wrote the brochure, making the case for the capital campaign. Elements featured a chambered nautilus motif to symbolize potential growth. In the appeal: “We will never expand just to be bigger. We will only expand — carefully, discerningly, wisely — to be better.” The campaign exceeded its fundraising goal of $10 million.
The new dean at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School resolved to level-up rankings with an inviting, modern, dynamic rebranding. The re-boot would take a fresh turn among staid competitors. With a dynamite team, I crafted messaging that carved out a light-and-bright brand to position for growth. Results? The next year saw MBA applications up by 11%, and enrollment up by 16% (even with increased selectivity). Full-time MBA now ranks #25, part-time MBA #13, and Executive Education #8.
Here’s a sample of my work on the campaign:
