Theo & Lotte named agency of record on 100+ acre master planned Bronzeville Lakefront

Chicago, IL Boutique real estate and hospitality creative agency Theo & Lotte (T&L), a Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE), announced that it has been selected as the creative agency of record (AOR) on Bronzeville Lakefront. The project is a first of its kind 8.2 million s/f, $3.8 billion master planned development on the shores of Chicago’s Lake Michigan in historic Bronzeville.

Engaged by GRIT Chicago, a team of leading developers, an investment firm and community development groups, T&L will be responsible for devising and implementing marketing strategies that support GRIT’s placemaking strategy, which seeks to transform the character of the neighborhood through, among other things, business innovation that drives economic growth; private and public spaces that advance community health and resiliency; and fostering vibrant social environments rooted in history and identity. 

Additionally, the creative agency will leverage its talents as storytellers of space and place (#storytellersofspaceandplace) to develop community-centered branding and marketing campaigns that comprise, among other things, asset positioning, visual identity, and messaging.

"We are honored to have been entrusted to represent this important development that will produce inclusive growth and a substantial economic impact in the Bronzeville community,” said T&L founder and managing director Kwanele Mpanza. “Our boutique size means that our senior-most team of storytellers are poised to craft creative campaigns that illustrate and bring to life the developer’s vision for a socially and environmentally impactful development that creates a sense of place and pride for current and future space users.” 

The redevelopment of the former Michael Reese Hospital will serve as a global hub and model for innovation and health. It will comprise up to 8.2 million s/f of new residential and commercial opportunities, parks and trails, and community spaces, and add approximately 75,000 jobs to the community. 

In addition to its $8.3 billion economic impact, Bronzeville Lakefront endeavors to become the most equitable development in the U.S., aspiring to exceed city and state requirements for contractor diversity to reach 65% minority contractor participation. 

Of the many benefits to engaging minority suppliers like T&L on Bronzeville Lakefront is their ability to drive equity and to optimally connect the project to its diverse users. Additionally, with a focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles within its own asset positioning and creative work, T&L will be influential to the project’s commitment to social impact, sustainability and innovation. 

“The future of new development positioning and place marketing is no longer centered solely on iconic architecture or luxury amenities, but rather real world impact,” said Mpanza. “We want to be on the forefront of this movement, branding buildings and places in the context of sustainability, community and humanity for a more equitable and healthy society and planet.” 

Given the opportunity that the mega project presents to the community, T&L centered its brand and marketing campaign “B #BuiltInBronzeville” squarely on the people of Bronzeville. 

“We wanted to support the community in proudly representing the neighborhood that made them who they are on a local, national and global stage,” said Mpanza.  “As such, we crafted a creative campaign that features the people of the community and calls upon them to be a part of the future promise of health, innovation, community and opportunity presented by Bronzeville Lakefront.”

To bring the project to life, T&L arranged a pop up studio on the streets of Bronzeville to capture striking black-and-white portrait photography of community members who opted to participate in the campaign. The creative agency then layered the project’s “B” brand mark atop the portraits, calling upon the ‘Faces of Bronzeville’ to ‘B’ part of the development’s future and its promises to the community. In addition, the call to action invites the community to be, among other things, innovative, bold, authentic and proud.

“Active collaboration and co-creation with the Bronzeville community are key tenets of our creative and design approach on the Bronzeville Lakefront project,” said T&L founder and photography director Arron Andrews. “As such, the high quality marketing grade portrait photography was made available to each community member who participated for their personal use.”

By aligning the ‘Faces of Bronzeville’ with the development, T&L is not only introducing the project to the community, but also establishing a strong connection between the community and the development. This placemaking and place branding within the campaign hits all the right notes relating to the project’s social and community impact, and successfully positions the mega development for success. 

“We are thrilled with the work that Theo & Lotte performed on this first marketing campaign,” said Farpoint Development managing director of strategic initiatives and operations Morgan Malone. “We engaged Theo & Lotte to assist with providing three sixty degree branding, creative, and content creation services for the development because we felt that they had a clear vision for how to help us deliver on our promises to the community. We were impressed by their narrative driven storytelling abilities and contemporary design aesthetic that’s on par with the best of the best, but grounded in real world impact.”