The Fitzalan

Nestled just 100 yards from Queen Street at the gateway to Cardiff’s retail district, The Fitzalan is a new, premium student accommodation complex. It boasts some of the most spacious rooms, studios and communal areas in Cardiff, housing its own on-site and free-to-use gym, launderette, cinema room as well as a music room, gaming pods, pool and ping pong tables. With interiors created by renowned designer Naomi Cleaver, The Fitzalan is a unique and stylish building, a sanctum from the hubbub of the city centre.

Property developers McLarenPMG asked Limegreentangerine to help tell their story and secure their proposition in an increasingly saturating and competitive market. Marketing was led by a national multi-site management company and several other local sites, and The Fitzalan had been absorbed into their house brand. They sought to stand apart and identify a unique message, needing a fresh visual direction to support marketing efforts.

The core component to the strategy was to move focus away from imagery of faux-trendy open-plan spaces and dressed bedrooms. There is little uniqueness to gain there as nearly all private student accommodation complexes market cool looks and all feature similar amenities — today that’s both a given and wholly subjective. Similarly, price points aren’t wildly disparate and are not a primary buying factor.

Instead, to find their ‘why’ The Fitzalan had to present something else, to promote a nurturing of something more than just a space to work and a space to live. So we focussed our messaging on the intangible; a fostering of multi-cultured, inclusive, and social community, and beyond that, through a living experience that helps shape people, a feeling and intrinsic sense of ‘belonging’. Threading a premium, intelligent look through the brand visuals was also key, using close-up, cozy images of furnishings and high-end Melin Tregwynt cushions and throws provide a ‘premium warmth.’

Mindfully, our purpose was not just to reach new potential students, but to inspire existing tenants to renew for the following year, rousing their affinity with and pride in their accommodation. Living at The Fitz should be like being part of a unique club.