The Downtown Business Improvement District is launching a new campaign to generate activity and growth in the Downtown market, which is in the midst of a renaissance. The new marketing campaign is called DTLA Make It Yours, and focuses on innovation and creativity in the market with a focus on all the DCBID's core asset classes, retail, office and residential.

The new campaign was born from a collection of workshops and surveys held last year with property owners, investors and residents. “We looked at how Downtown Los Angeles was a place of innovation and creativity, how it could become more so and why companies move here versus other markets,” Nick Griffin, VP of economic development at the DCBID, tells GlobeSt.com. “What came out of that initiative is a campaign that we are launching now called DTLA Make It Yours. We have elements for each of our main sectors, office, retail and residential.”

Three major themes emerged as a result of the DCBID's research, and the new campaign has been structured around those themes. The goal is to craft the culture and experience of the market. “The core idea is that Downtown Los Angeles is a place where you go to make things, whether you are an artist or a developer,” explains Griffin. “People also felt that Downtown Los Angeles is a place that you can make your own and build your own lifestyle. Because the market is evolving, a lot of people are attracted to coming here because people want to be part of its evolution. A lot of people also expressed a real ownership and civic pride about Downtown Los Angeles and cared about embracing the market and helping to address its challenges. Those sentiments are why we came up with the tag line.”

The DCBID has a strong track record with its marketing campaigns. Last year, it launched a campaign called Innovate DTLA to attract more creative office tenants, and this year, the office vacancy rate fell nearly 5%. “This is just starting to kick off now, and this is an interesting case study of what business improvement districts can do,” says Griffin. “Last year, we launched a campaign called Innovate DTLA to attract companies that we thought was a realistic assumption of what we could support. I think that has played out well, and I think our campaigns have been a part of that.”

Instant Insights /

The DCBID's Newest Push for Growth

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