Introduction

Rock Hill, SC is a somewhat small town located on the outskirts of Charlotte, NC. It used to be a
place booming with economic opportunity and promise. Now, this city is mostly run down and in
need of some attention in order to attract new residents. Knowledge Park is a concept born in
response to this issue.

Knowledge Park is both an initiative and a place dedicated to transforming Rock Hill, SC into a
vibrant place again where people want to work, live and play. The actual place stretches all th
way from Winthrop University to Fountain Park, aiming to become an urban business district
offering everything people need in one convenient, trendy and comfortable place.

Situational Analysis (brand analysis guidelines posted)

Industry/Environment
All over the Charlotte area, it seems like new mixed-use developments are appearing every day.
Some even refer to them as colonies. These large new developments feature everything a
millennial could want - trendy apartments, shopping, dining and sometimes even employment
opportunities - all in one place, and all brand new.

In a study conducted by Alan Ehrenhalt of governing.com, researchers identified that many

millenials are beginning to move out of crowded city centers and into convenient developments
like these due to lower price, less traffic and more convenience. Hence the boom in this
industry, and Rock Hill’s motivation for struggling to keep up.

The Brand
Knowledge Park positions itself as a commitment to creating community wealth and prosperity
for the citizens of Rock Hill. This commitment will be visible in the next five years as a new
urban lifestyle is developed in the heart of Rock Hill. This goal also drives Knowledge Park to
attract new businesses, tourists, increase resident excitement, retain young people, etc.

Right now there is a lot of what some may call ‘cluttler’ within the city of Rock Hill. This leads to
the issue of lack of awareness, as well as confusion among consumers. There are many
branded branches of Rock Hill:

● Old Town Rock Hill - “Only in Old Town”

● City of Rock Hill - “Always On”
● Rock Hill, SC Economic Development

Each of these entities has its own branding, website and social media accounts. So, Knowledge
Park just adds another Rock Hill brand to this mix, even though it technically encompasses all of
it. Obviously, this is extremely confusing for a consumer to understand.

A successful brand anchors six main visual and verbal brand design characteristics around a
consumer story. Knowledge Park’s brand design is pretty lacking, as shown here:
 ● Naming
○ Knowledge Park
○ KP - used as a condense name
● Picturing
○ Consumers cannot picture Knowledge Park yet because it is a product that does
not exist and is more of an idea.
● Wording
○ Action team, opportunity zones, technology incubator
○ None of these terms mean anything to the consumer yet because they do not
know what they are.
● Describing
● Animating
● Symbolizing
○ Blue and gold colors, Gotham font, KP logo

Unique Benefit/Proposition
At the moment, there is no clear and defined unique benefit that Knowledge Park offers to its
consumers. This needs to be fleshed out and defined based on the target market that
Knowledge Park is trying to reach.

Current/Past Advertising
Currently, Knowledge Park uses excitement and hope for the future to play on emotions. All
videos and promotional materials talk about the bright future ahead and feature individuals
excited about the promise in this town.

There has been no paid advertising, such as billboards, that has been branded as Knowledge
Park. Even though the Rock Hill Jobs campaign was technically a part of Knowledge Park, it
had its own branding. This is only adding to the clutter that was mentioned before.

Knowledge Park has one large issue that has been previously discussed - lack of awareness.
This could be due, to its misleading name and lack of advertising explaining what it Knowledge
Park is. This information can certainly be found, but the consumer must dig for it, and most
people do not go to that effort.

Competition
Riverwalk is a community in Rock Hill, close to the border of Fort Mill, situated on the Catawba
River. It features single-family detached homes, multiple apartment buildings, shops, dining and
new businesses. Riverwalk also hosts many recreational events at its BMX track, velodrome,
soccer fields and, of course, the river itself. This community is also extremely close to I-77,
allowing those who commute to Charlotte for work quick access to the interstate.

Kingsley is a very new community located in Fort Mill, SC. It currently hosts many shops, dining
locations, apartments, and LPL Financial headquarters. In the future, Kingsley will also feature
more large businesses and two new hotels. Kinglsey has a very modern, urban feel while still
playing off of the rich history of Fort Mill by adding a few old textile mill design elements.

NoDa is a neighborhood in Charlotte, NC, aptly named for its location on North Davidson Street.
This community can be compared to a historic arts district with its diverse population, local art,
restaurants, craft breweries and tattoo shops. This neighborhood also offers apartment living, as
well as easy access to public transportation.

Target Audience
Demographics
For the purpose of this marketing assignment, the target market chosen is students in the Rock
Hill area ages 18 - 25. A secondary market of concern is job-seekers, specifically those who are
graduating college seniors seeking their first jobs. There are three institutions for higher
educations in Rock Hill: Winthrop University, York Technical College and Clinton College. There
demographics are distributed as follows:

● Winthrop University
○ Total population:​ 6,170
○ Gender distribution:​ 67% female, 33% male
○ Ethnicity:​ 63.78% Caucasian, 28.15% African American, 3.95% International,
2.2% Latino Hispanic, 1.41% Asian and .44% American Indian
● York Technical College
○ Total population:​ 5,061 students
○ Gender distribution:​ 59% female, 41% male
○ Ethnicity:​ 59% Caucasian, 24% African American, 11% two or more races, 4%
Latino Hispanic, 1% race/ethnicity unknown
● Clinton College
○ Total population:​ 200 students
○ Gender distribution:​ 62% female, 38% male
○ Ethnicity:​ 97% African American, 2% Caucasian, 1% non-residents

The total target market is comprised of 11,431 students. Their demographics are distributed in
the charts below:
Psychographics
Five members of the target market took part in the VALS Strategic Business Insights survey.
Among the participants, two main personality types were identified: experiencers and strivers.
VALS listed the following personality traits as definitive to those in the target market:

● Experiencers
○ Wants everything
 ○ First in and first out of trend adoption, but also tried to go against the current
mainstream
○ Are up on the latest fashions
○ Love physical activity
○ See themselves as very sociable and believe friends are extremely important
○ Are spontaneous
○ Have a heightened sense of visual stimulation
● Striver
○ Have revolving employment; high temporary unemployment
○ Use video and video games as a form of fantasy
○ Are fun loving
○ Are imitative
○ Rely heavily on public transportation
○ Are the center of low-status street culture
○ Desire to better their lives but have difficulty in realizing their desire
○ Wear their wealth

It’s obvious that another characteristic of the target audience is high social media usage. The
Pew Research Center reports that 88% of people ages 18 - 29 use social media. The two
highest used platforms for this group are Snapchat and Instagram. 78% of people ages 18 - 24
use Snapchat and 71% use Instagram.

SWOT Analysis
Strengths
● Planned, already in progress, future developments such as University Center, new
athletic facilities, etc.
● Successful completion and use of new Comporium bicycles and pedestrian facilities.
● The city already owns a lot of the property targeted for redevelopment.
● Knowledge Park growth will provide more employment opportunities, dining options and
recreational activities for residents and visitors in the Rock Hill area.
Weaknesses
● Lack of awareness and communication of what Knowledge Park is among students,
Rock Hill residents, visitors and surrounding communities.
● Negative perceptions of Rock Hill within those who already live in the area and those in
surrounding areas.
● Public infrastructure is lacking, obsolete, or inappropriate to support redevelopment in
certain areas. This leads to those perceptions, opinions, and lack of support from the
community.
● Knowledge Park is not complete, and has a very long way to go, while consumers are
inpatient.
Opportunities
● Possible relationships and partnerships with other organizations in the Rock Hill area.
 ● Surrounding neighborhoods may undergo enhancement due to new amenities and
revenue, providing more attractive areas that people will want to live in.
● York Technical College, Winthrop University and Clinton College offer a large pool of
talented young people who may be convinced to stay in Rock Hill due to the efforts of
Knowledge Park.
Threats
● Loss of public and political support if citizens don’t feel connected to Knowledge Park.
● Without more strong connections (pedestrian, bicycle, public transport), surrounding
neighborhoods will be less likely to benefit from Knowledge Park.
● Competing neighborhoods that are already built and complete have a higher chance of
enticing recent graduates and young people to move there.

Primary Research
Process
20 people in the target audience were selected for interviews. Each participant was asked to
describe themselves, especially in relation to their life as a student in Rock Hill. Then, each was
asked a series of questions organized into the following groups:

● Awareness of Knowledge Park

● Feelings and perceptions about Rock Hill
● Ideal place to live, work and play
● Media usage
● Questions about job-seeking if the participant is a graduating senior

Due to the number of questions and insightful conversation, each interview lasted approximately
20 - 25 minutes.

Insights
There were a few common insights mentioned consistently by interview participants. Here are
some of the most prevalent and important trends:
● Lack of awareness and misperception
Most interview participants had heard about Knowledge Park before, but had no real
information about what it is. Most had made assumptions that were way off. The majority
assumed it was something education for children. One interviewee said “isn’t it a fun
park for children with educational games?” On the other hand, a few viewed it as an
attempt to solely engage the Winthrop community with Rock Hill, calling it an effort to
become a “college town.”

● All inclusive neighborhoods

Every interviewee said they would like to live in a neighborhood where everything, and
they do mean everything, is close by. One said that Rock Hill needs more variety of
things nearby such as “restaurants that offer fresh options, fast food is the only thing
nearby.” Another said that she wants a neighborhood with “organization, because right
 now Rock Hill is just scattered all over the place.” This also plays into the identified
characteristics of the “experiencer” who wants everything.

● Affordable
While each interviewee wants to live somewhere nice, they also don’t want something
that will be extremely expensive. Most mentioned living on the outskirts of a large city,
due in part to the affordability.

● Social media is priority

Every single interviewee said they use their phone, more specifically social media for
more than half of the day.Our target audience is definitely aware of their social media
problem, one even stating “wow, it sounds terrible to say that out loud.” Each participant
also said that they use Instagram more than any other platform. This social media outlet
is definitely the most visual, causing young people to pursue an “instagrammable” life.
This is also a trend that taps into the “experiencer” that thrives off of heightened visual
stimulation.

Campaign Recommendations
After interviewing the target market, the direction of this campaign is rather obvious. The ideal
neighborhoods each person described are what exactly Knowledge Park is supposed to be.
This campaign should focus on informing the student body in Rock Hill about just what
Knowledge Park is, so the misperceptions can be erased.

The campaign should also highlight the things that these college kids want after graduation and
senior job-seekers are desperately looking for: an all inclusive neighborhood located right in
their current backyard. It should also focus on the fact that Knowledge Park will be more
affordable because of its location. Without the higher taxes in North Carolina and the steep
prices of Uptown Charlotte, these young adults will be able to enjoy their early working years
with a lower cost of living.

All marketing materials should be very visual. Some pieces should even include the
computerized images and sketches of what Knowledge Park will look like so the target market
can begin to understand that everything they want is coming to Rock Hill in the near future. By
actually showing what this town can become, the audience will be more easily enticed to stay in
the place where they are creating new friendships and beginning to call home.

References

​ etrieved from
Ehrenhalt, A. (April 2018). ​City or Suburbs? What do Millennials Really Want? R
www.governing.com/columns/assessments/gov-millennials-cities-suburbs.html

Smith, A. (1 March 2018). ​Social Media Use in 2018. ​Retrieved from

www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/
Riverwalk Carolinas. Retrieved from ​www.riverwalkcarolinas.com/

Kingsley Fort Mill. Retrieved from ​www.kingsleyfortmill.com/the-details/

Experiencer - VALS type. Retrieved from

www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes/experiencers.shtml

Striver - VALS type. Retrieved from

www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes/strivers.shtml

Clinton College Fact Sheet. Retrieved from clintoncollege.edu/about-clinton/fact-sheet/

Clinton College Review. Retrieved from

www.communitycollegereview.com/clinton-college-profile

About Winthrop University. Retrieved from ​www.winthrop.edu/aboutwu/

York Technical College Enrollment Demographics. Retrieved from

www.yorktech.edu/ie/10-year-comparison/

http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/
Interview question ideas

Awareness:
Have you heard of knowledge park?

If so, what do you know about it?

If not, When you hear the name knowledge park what do you think of?

(After explanation, if necessary) Do you understand what Knowledge Park is?

Rock Hill
Do you like living in Rock Hill?
What do you like about Rock Hill?
What do you dislike about Rock Hill?
Do you plan to stay in Rock Hill after graduation?
Do you stay in Rock Hill on the weekends?

Ideal place to live/work/play

Describe your ideal place to live.
What do you like to do on the weekends?
Where do you go on the weekends?

Media usage
How often do you use your phone?
How often do you use social media?
What social media platform do you use the most?
How much TV do you watch? What platform? (cable, netflix, hulu, etc.)
How much time do you spend driving? (especially on the interstate)

If they are a graduating senior​:

Are you going to live in Rock Hill after graduation? If not, why?
Where are the jobs you’re applying for located?
Do you apply to jobs based on their locations?
What are your feelings about commuting to work/traffic?