As the start of the 2020-21 school year saw a shift to remote learning, there was a rush among many Chicago parents to find spaces outside their homes where children could safely attend virtual school with a tutor or create their own “home school” environment with a private teacher. Knowing client Optima, Inc. had available business suites at its Optima Signature mixed-use tower in the heart of Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood, Taylor Johnson came up with an innovative idea for Optima to reposition its office suites as learning pods.

We worked with Optima on a two-pronged strategy for securing media coverage, knowing reporters were pursuing every story angle possible tied to businesses navigating the pandemic.

Step 1 – TJ offered an exclusive to the Chicago Tribune for a business-meets-education story showcasing Optima’s savvy pivot by marketing a new use for its fully furnished office suites.

Step 2 – We distributed an e-blast to both local and national media with photos and bullet points illustrating how Optima Signature’s office suites could be used as learning pods. The business suites/learning pods included five to seven desks, a mini-fridge, built-in cabinetry, Wi-Fi access and professional cleaning, and they gave students access to the building’s indoor basketball court for gym class and outdoor lounge areas for al fresco studying.

Not only was the Tribune story picked up by national sites like Yahoo News and MSN, but it prompted a series of media queries from reporters at MSNBC and Fox Business. Within days of our e-blast, stories on Optima Signature’s business suites turned learning pods appeared in The Real Deal Chicago, WGN-AM Radio, REBusinessOnline, CoStar, Chicago Architecture Blog, Connect Chicago, RE Journals and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat blog, among others.

Clip: Coronavirus Brings Unlikely Classroom: A 57- Story Apartment Tower In Streeterville Chicago Tribune