The company needs brand recognition to further its aggressive Southeastern expansion goals. Yet as developers are often a target for negative media coverage, they needed just the right level of brand awareness without the harsh backlash.

Crosland consistently goes “over and above” industry norms in its developments. That attention to detail can sometimes be hard to discern, especially when the bulldozers are running, but there is always a way to tell the story positively.

Take a show-me-don’t-tell-me approach. Efforts are largely focused on public relations, since third-party endorsement is critical to the believability of Crosland’s mission.
Tactics included:
• Aggressively promoting Crosland’s newsworthy transactions, such as land deals, joint venture announcements, and tenant signings.
• Bypassing publicity opportunities that do not clearly support company goals.
• Developing and implementing a comprehensive crisis plan, and supporting this plan through media training of all Crosland division presidents.
• Developing an ad campaign around the theme, “Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should,” with images of land that Crosland has preserved.

Crosland consistently garners positive publicity for its efforts in every market where it does business, as well as in the trades. Local and trade media frequently contact Corder Philips in search of Crosland executives as a resource. Upon introduction to new markets, Crosland has been warmly embraced by reporters, most of whom had no prior knowledge of Crosland. Positive client feedback.

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