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Creating and promoting thought leadership for a leading architecture firm

For more than five years, Akrete led public relations efforts for Wright Heerema Architects (WHA), a national, Chicago-based award-winning architecture and interior design firm specializing in office buildings and workplaces of all types. Akrete has positioned WHA principals and senior architects and interior designers as thought leaders to an audience of commercial real estate and design decisionmakers including owners, tenant representatives and end users through project promotion and contributed content.

Strategy

In addition to our ongoing content development and media relations work, 2020 brought an increased need to share ideas on the future workplace with a pandemic-shaken marketplace. Amidst the uncertainty about when in-office work would return, and what that future office looked like, Akrete developed a content marketing plan centered on a custom eBook “The Destination Workplace.” Akrete conceived the eBook, conducted interviews with subject matter experts across the firm, and wrote seven distinct chapters, each focusing on a unique aspect of the firm’s work and thought leadership. The eBook then became the core of a multifaceted PR & marketing program for more than a year that included marketing to current and prospective clients, a contributed content PR campaign in CRE and design publications, and a paid content marketing program.

Results

The eBook provided a touchpoint with current and prospective clients during a time of reduced activity in the office real estate sector, strengthening relationships and contributing to business development efforts. In 2021 Akrete built on the “Destination Workplace” concept to subsectors such as life sciences and wellness & sustainability design.

Akrete’s proactive PR campaign has resulted in earned and adapted content in high-priority commercial real estate trade publications including: