Location: Columbia, South Carolina

University: University of South Carolina

In late 2016, Redtail on the River joined Campus Advantage’s portfolio of student housing properties. Catalyst, Campus Advantage’s marketing partner, was also engaged to rebrand the property to help increase leasing velocity and improve the property’s reputation. Prior to Campus Advantage and Catalyst’s involvement, the property suffered from negative online reviews and experienced minimal revenue growth. In an effort to improve the property’s reputation and decrease resident turnover, the property launched Campus Advantage’s Students First® experience — a program designed to ensure that residents who choose to live at Campus Advantage communities have more opportunities to achieve success both now and in the future — and rebranded the property as “Redtail on the River”. The name “Redtail” was designed as a nod to the University of South Carolina mascot, the Gamecock, while “River” highlights the property’s close proximity to the Congaree River — both of which are well known in Columbia, South Carolina.

When Redtail on the River joined Campus Advantage’s portfolio in 2016, J Turner Research measured the property’s Online Reputation Assessment (ORA) score at 40 points — more than 20 points below the national average. Catalyst and Campus Advantage worked in tandem to design a new logo, marketing collateral, and website, and ultimately launched a reveal campaign to re-introduce Redtail on the River into the Columbia market. This led to the increase of the property’s overall market reputation and ORA score by 30 points, reaching 70 by fall 2019. Redtail on the River has since achieved 100% occupancy for two consecutive years and increased resident retention, achieving a 37% renewal rate in fall 2019.