Gateway at Milbrae Station Logo

Grand Opening of Gateway at Millbrae Station

Branding and Media Relations

Challenge

The project was the opening of the largest transit-oriented development on the West Coast, Gateway at Millbrae Station stands as a beacon of modern urban planning and transportation advancement. The grand opening of this huge project was not just an unveiling of a massive structure, but also about laying the foundation for future urban development patterns and mobility in the region. Furthermore, with the unveiling of the Harriet Tubman Statue, there was also an exciting opportunity to integrate historical significance with the modern infrastructure, making the place not just a transit hub but also a cultural landmark. 

Republic Urban Properties is the West Coast Division of the Republic Family of Companies, known for developing quality real estate throughout the United States, from land development and historic adaptive reuse to shopping malls.  The developer wanted to ensure consistent messaging and branding across multiple stakeholders, from lenders and local politicians to  transportation authorities. Therefore, it was important to balance a range of marketing strategies in order to cater to a diverse target audience. Since the site itself is a major transportation hub, managing the inflow and outflow of visitors during the grand opening without disrupting the regular flow of commuters was crucial. The ultimate goal was to help Republic Urban Properties increase the visibility and awareness of their important upgrade to this vital piece of local infrastructure.

Strategies & Tactics

  • Branding –  PRxDigital created a branding and style guide as well as the logo for Gateway at Millbrae Station. The guide and logo provided a consistent look and feel across all communication channels and created a recognizable identifier for this major development.
  • Media Relations – PRxDigital created a strategic plan in order to maximize media coverage and buzz around the property. We began to build interest with traditional and social media coverage of a unique design collaboration between Republic and furniture retailer Living Spaces that highlighted the exciting urban living opportunities offered by Station 16, the development’s luxury apartment offering. A month prior to the Grand Opening, we created another wave of attention with the unveiling of the Harriet Tubman statue. Media coverage of that event helped  Gateway at Millbrae Station garner national media coverage. 

Results

The event was a resounding success with over 74.6M Estimated Audience, $1.95M Estimated Publicity Value and 352 Mentions across 40 states.

Examples of media coverage provided by PRxDigital: