Kirkland Urban | Winterfest

Challenge

Kirkland Urban, an open-air shopping center hosting an array of retailers, eateries, and services with office space above, is working to support its retail tenants as hybrid work options and neighborhood growth reshape on-site foot traffic. The property needs to maintain positive visibility in the community, support tenant businesses by attracting residents and working professionals, and position Kirkland Urban as a go-to destination for shopping, dining, and community events.

Winter poses a critical opportunity for Kirkland Urban. The holiday season is highly competitive, yet essential for driving retail and dining traffic. Kirkland Urban relies on an annual standout activation, Winterfest, to attract visitors and on Fearey to ensure the event promotion evolves each year with fresh content that captures attention.

Strategy

Our Winterfest strategy focuses on an integrated communications approach using earned, shared, and owned media to promote the event.

This includes:

Engaging with local media, offering sneak peeks and exclusive content.

Running social media campaigns and influencer partnerships to engage with local audiences.

Publishing blogs and newsletters to keep existing audience members informed.

Execution / Activation

We develop a quarterly calendar anchored by key seasonal moments, including Winterfest, working backwards from each milestone to establish clear promotional runways. Audience insights and past performance data inform our platform selection, messaging, timing, and partnerships.

To support Winterfest, we identified and activated a targeted mix of local media, community partners, and influencers aligned with key audience segments, executing proactive outreach to secure coverage and drive pre-event buzz.

This was complemented by a coordinated paid and owned media strategy, including Meta campaigns to expand awareness and drive attendance, alongside a blog post, newsletter edition, and organic social posts to engage existing audiences.