CARROLL’s Multifamily Brand, ARIUM, Creates Massive Brand Campaign, Reaching 6M+ Potential Renters in the U.S.

By Noah Echols, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Customer Experience

In 2018, CARROLL doubled down on a masterbrand strategy, consolidating property names around its existing ARIUM brand. Finding that the ARIUM brand was already outperforming competitors in markets where the brand was active in terms of general awareness, the Firm more thoroughly defined the brand to differentiate itself in the market. Its focus on a single masterbrand was to create awareness across the Sun Belt among renters as an apartment management company that prioritized frictionless renting and empowered residents.

Each year, CARROLL invests in running ARIUM brand campaigns to ensure that awareness of its consumer brand continues to develop along with the Firm’s overall growth. With the expansion into new markets including Phoenix and Las Vegas recently, CARROLL proactively seeds those markets with brand campaigns to begin generating interest in ARIUM. In each market, brand level campaigns run to support the individual property’s advertising campaigns. During leasing season each year, the Firm invests in a large brand campaign to reach millions of renters so that the ARIUM brand stays top of mind as they are considering a move.

This year [2022], CARROLL took an innovative approach to its brand campaign, prioritizing user-generated content to create buzz across social media channels. Dubbed “Sounds of Summer,” the campaign invited ARIUM residents across the United States to audition for a summer-long singing competition to compete for free rent, free vacations, and cash prizes. With guest appearances from influencers like The Voice finalist Dave Fenley, American Idol winner David Cook, and the band Texas Hill, the program received immediate attention from both residents and the general public.

Starting in May, ARIUM residents were invited to submit videos of them singing to be judged by celebrity judges Michael-Leon Wooley, Mykell Patten, and Sierra Hawkins, creating a fun and encouraging atmosphere that radiated throughout the competition. Eight weekly winners were crowned, in addition to one judge save and one fan save, advancing 10 residents to the semifinals, where live voting determined the final five. The finalists were flown to Atlanta on September 14^th where they vied to claim the top spot awarded through final round of fan voting at a 2-hour live finale show at Variety Playhouse.

The power of this campaign came in its ability to garner earned media. With the residents competing for noteworthy prizes and the opportunity to rub elbows with stars, they fervently (and consistently) enlisted their followers across social channels to get involved in voting and tuning in each week to follow their journeys. The content produced by ARIUM to promote the program reached more than 3 million people with earned media doubling that reach to more than 6 million people – primarily in the markets where CARROLL is active – resulting in the most successful brand campaign the Firm has ever run.

In addition to the exposure the brand received through this campaign, we were able to deliver on our promise to create moments that build community for our residents. Each week, our properties across the country hosted viewing parties that brought together residents to cheer for their favorite contestant. Apart from the broad marketing goal of increasing awareness of the ARIUM brand, the word of mouth benefit to local properties will pay dividends in the months ahead (as residents tell their friends and families about the fun things we are doing).

In 2021, CARROLL ran the “Together We Live” campaign that promoted the coming back together of our communities following the social distanced preceding two years. That campaign ran across digital channels and reached over 2 million renters in markets where CARROLL is active.

Watch the recap of the 2022 grand finale here!