Catalyst was engaged after Campus Advantage acquired a property in Huntsville, Texas — University House Lake Road. The acquisition required a renaming of the property, and Catalyst was selected to perform a complete rebranding. Catalyst team members visited the site and found it was the closest of its competitors to the local university, Sam Houston State University, and the only one within walking distance to the campus. Additionally, it was found that nearly 97 percent of students attending SHSU called Texas home.
The Solution
The Catalyst team drew on the history of the university and the state of Texas in rebranding the property under the name Republic at Sam Houston. The name resonates with students and instills a sense of pride to residents, while remaining simple for students to reference among peers. Furthermore, Catalyst prepared new signage and marketing collateral for the property in preparation for a reveal event, including a new tagline, logo, mood board, brand guide, paper system, marketing brochure, temporary website, full website, sales sheet, social media collateral, email campaigns, and more.
The Results
On March 31, 2015, the new name and brand were revealed to the community with a Texas-themed barbecue for residents and students to attend. The event was very successful, with food running out within an hour due to overwhelming attendance, but that didn’t stop more people from showing up. There were giveaways for attendees and specials for those who signed leases. The party resulted in 14 signed leases and 11 applications — a huge success for the typically late-leasing market where people wait until summer to lease for the next academic year.
In July 2015, Republic at Sam Houston hosted a grand reopening. Since that date, the effective rental rate has increased from $504 for the 2014–15 AY to $519 for the 2015–16 AY, a 3% increase, and an end result greater than the pro forma effective rate of $514 for the 2015–16 AY.
The Challenge