External Communications Campaign | CBRE
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
CBRE, a renowned market leader in the commercial real estate sector, needed a compelling pitch deck as part of an external communications campaign to extend an existing client contract, emphasizing CBRE's unparalleled expertise in data center portfolio management.
ROLE:
Portfolio Manager, Communications, guiding a creative cross-functional team (graphic designers, copywriters and initiative project managers), on top of strategic planning and stakeholder analysis.
IDEATION:
As creative comms lead on this project, I was inspired by iconic and elegantly simple designs like the Dieter Rams T3 radio. Our team wanted to evoke a sense of advanced, yet minimalistic form-function, representing the client's sophisticated and high-tech environment.
CAMPAIGN CREATION PROCESS:
1. Stakeholder Analysis: A deep-dive into the client's past, current and future projects through interviews and written feedback engagements enabled understanding of the client's nuanced and wide-ranging data center management needs. This critical phase enabled crucial messaging refinements.
2. Strategic Planning: A detailed project plan was developed outlining key milestones, deliverables, and timelines. Cohesive coordination across teams and adherence to project deadlines hinged on the deft development of this planning phase.
3. Creative Direction: While adhering to CBRE's branding standards was of course part and partial to the development of campaign assets, the team was pushed to go further to stand out. Subtle imagery evoking the thoughts and feelings associated with the client's product, which is itself a product of the client's data centers, was peppered throughout the deck. Selecting colors, fonts and graphical elements that conveyed the sophistication and highly technological proficiency of the client's business was crucial in making the campaign pitch stand out.
4. Content Development: Messaging that highlighted CBRE's unique strengths and value propositions, such as global scale, expertise, and proprietary technology platforms, laid the foundation for writers on the team. Language was scrutinized, over the course of dozens of iterations carefully chosen to resonate with the client's aspirations of industrial dominance.
5. Design and Review: Visual development of all components of the deck was guided with meticulous specificity in order to evoke the right connotations. Multiple review rounds with internal stakeholders, through senior and executive leadership, ensured the deck met all requirements and was strategically positioned to win.
IMPACT AND REFLECTION:
The final deck communicated CBRE's ethos: pushing the boundaries of innovative data center management with a deep commitment to client success. The stark combination of visually striking design elements and compelling messaging reinforced the company's position as the client's clear choice, enabling the client to arrive to the same conclusion.
The campaign was successful, and CBRE's services were retained for yet another year.
