Manulife Centre
The Story
Manulife Real Estate enlisted Borealis to help manage communications and develop strategic marketing directions for one of their retail properties, Manulife Centre, over five years ago. Manulife Centre is a unique lifestyle retail and commercial destination at the corner of Bay and Bloor in Toronto. The Centre offers both a multi-faceted retail space (55 Bloor), and one of Toronto’s premier residential rental addresses (44 Charles). The challenge was to promote a consistent brand for Manulife Centre that generated excitement, interest and helped drive traffic. In addition, the Centre was planning for a significant renovation with new retail acquisitions including the opening of the first Eataly in Canada.
Deliverables
Research & Strategy
Visual Identity Development
Brand Exploration
Brand Guideline
Research & Strategy
Research was conducted multiple times over the past few years to ensure ongoing understanding of the neighbourhood’s changing demographics as well as awareness of the evolving nature of shopping and real estate trends. The research led to the identification of the types of Manulife Centre visitors. From this, shopper archetypes were defined which informed the positioning, messaging and tagline as well as anchoring all creative.
Brand Governance
In early 2017, Manulife Centre embarked on a $100 million redevelopment to add 35,000 square feet of new retail space. The redevelopment also included a complete overhaul of the exterior of the Centre and a reconfiguration of the interior space. During this time, Manulife Global updated their brand and internal organizational structure which Borealis then incorporated into the Centre’s new identity and branding system.
Brand Launch
Creating Firsts:
Borealis was tasked to reestablish its brand upon completion of the redevelopment of the building. Our theme, Creating First reflects the essence of space.
As Curators of the Unexpected, MLC brings to Bloor/Yorkville a newness of both trends and experiences for people who pride themselves in being in the know. To curate the unexpected is to have the insight into the latest in retail, food and beverage, and culture, and to create the environment for people to discover. This discovery is the act of encountering something unknown. It is a first: a moment that is iconic to memory.
Brand launch includes custom photography, updated website, social media planning and implementation, digital boards and window graphics.
Retail Promotions
Borealis develops promotional themes, messaging, in-centre applications, content and activation programming to engage customers and drive interest at four key retail seasonal periods throughout the calendar year. Custom photoshoots featuring retailer products have been coordinated quarterly and implemented through social media and within retail environment signage. Out-of-home advertising is also managed and coordinated to support promotions when appropriate.
Activations & Events
To support each promotional period, activations and events are planned to ensure the experience within the retail environment is consistent with the communications and promotional theme. Consumer brand activations have been a crucial part of building a positive perception of the brand by highlighting the activity in the Centre to encourage foot traffic. The goal is to reach people on multiple levels (emotional, rational and/or psychological) so that they walk away from the event with positive associations from their shopping experience.