THE U @

SPRINGFIELD

Whitney Brown

Why the U?

• Prime location

• In-between Drury & MSU

• Affordable

• Student living

• Fully Furnished

What are your needs and

wants during your college

living experience?

• “Having my own bathroom!”

• “living with or near my friend. This is probably the last opportunity I will get with them before I graduate!”

• “I don’t need everythinh The U offers. But its definitely a perk!”

• “A 24/7 gym.”

When choosing student living,

why was The U the choice for

you?

Location

Off Campus

Friends

Style

What do you like most about living at The U?

• “Roof top patio.”

• “The social lounge.”

• “The location and the view!”

• “How many great friends I have made by living here!”

Springfield Brew Co Tasting/ Meet and Greet

event

The Garage

Social Lobby

24/7 Gym

Room Model

McDaniel Building

SWOT ANALYSISStrengths:

• Affordable off campus student living focused on Missouri State and Drury students bringing a combination of different students together.

• Monthly seminars offering advice from local entrepreneurs and successful business people of Springfield.

• Located off the Square in downtown Springfield making several local businesses in walking distance.

• Located in-between MSU and Drury.

• Discounts offered by several local businesses including Dublin’s Pass, Blue Bull bar and grill, and Modern Society.

• Only student housing complex in the Springfield area allowing pets.

• On site parking

Weakness:

• Off Campus

• Cost of living

• Loud downtown location

• Traffic

Opportunities:

• New building = new tenants

• With the woodruff building being completed by next fall offering several new apartments as well as offering a rooftop pool available to U tenants as well as new woodruff tenants

Threats:

With Kimbrough being flooded with new student housing complexes such as the following, The U must stay on top of the game.

• Springfield Lofts

• Bear Village

• Deep Elm

Promotion

• Currently The U has been communicating their marketing mix by word of mouth, location, and social media. Being in a high traffic area in downtown Springfield has its benefits because information and curiosity travels by word of mouth with little to no effort.

• I decided to take an aggressive approach to the pros of living at The U versus a similar student-housing unit. I used the research I have collected over the last few months on millennials, how they live, and their wants. Since it is very apparent that millennialsprefer to support local, and although they still enjoy social events, eating has turned into the events apposed to eating before an event. After discovering these facts I reached out to several local businesses and many known as bests of 417 in hope of more appealing pairings and connections to separate The U from the competitors.

• As a result of reaching out to these businesses I have made an “access card” for U tenants, which allows several discounts only available to The U. This will not only benefit U tenants but also bringing more business to the local restaurants, bars, and stores.