University City Partners
Context
University City was known as a community, miles away from the city’s center, and by and large dismissed as a sleepy “area” of town. University City Partners, the economic development organization for a municipal service district in Charlotte, hoped to strengthen its brand it become known as a city within a city that offered a great quality of life, and as a destination for residents and visitors alike. The efforts would help to support transit-oriented development along the newly opened public transit line.
Our Approach
Over a five-year partnership with University City Partners (UCP), Zaja PR provided strategic communications leadership that supported the community’s growth, investment and quality-of-life goals. The firm advised on messaging for community development projects, public transportation, parks funding and crisis situations, ensuring timely and coordinated communication with residents, media and key stakeholders. Zaja PR also collaborated closely with key partners including the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Atrium Health University and local business leaders.
Zaja PR led content development, messaging and social media strategy for the University City Vision Plan, Connecting People, Places and Nature, driving and 81 percent increase in social engagement. This plan highlighted a greenbelt to enhance mobility and recreation, character-building design strategies, adaptive reuse of big-box buildings, expanded bike lanes and sidewalks for transit-oriented development and pedestrian access and safety.
The firm developed and executed annual integrated communications strategies spanning media relations, community engagement, social media, newsletters, events and partner outreach. These efforts strengthened University City’s reputation and helped attract Fortune 500 companies, commercial real estate investment and new residents. Zaja PR’s work included a public advocacy campaign that contributed to increased government spending for parks, as well as rapid‑response communications during COVID‑19 and major infrastructure updates such as the LYNX Blue Line Extension.
Key Outcomes
Media coverage across TV, radio, print and social increased by 42% in 2020 and 54% in 2021
Positive stories grew by 14%
Generated an estimated 400,000 media reach to help secure more than 8,000 attendees for a newly launched Charlotte Kids Fest at UNC Charlotte
Secured an average of 20 media stories for UCP hosted events
Newsletter open rates averaged 30%, peaking at 72 percent for major updates
Grew social media engagement by 200% for key announcements; followers increased by 64%