Wow, right?! This energetic display highlights some of Charlotte’s lesser-known landmarks with unique points of view and angles, capturing Uptown’s energy and diversity. The video premiered in late April at Charlotte Center City Partners’ annual Vision Awards, a celebration of visionary leadership in the Center City, and kicked off a four-month paid social media campaign. The launch coincided with a record-breaking weekend for foot traffic in Uptown in early May, thanks to the Lovin’ Life Music Fest, a Kendrick Lamar concert and Charlotte Knights games.

“This campaign captures Uptown’s spirit in a fresh way while maintaining our decades-long commitment to delivering an exceptional experience to all who visit,” said Rick Thurmond, Chief Marketing Office of Charlotte Center City Partners. “We welcome everyone to come and discover everything that Uptown has to offer.”

In addition to the video, Wray Ward created a wide range of marketing assets featuring a vibrant color palette of blues, greens, reds, pinks and oranges. These combine to help reposition Uptown Charlotte’s look and feel as an energetic, exciting and fun destination for more than just game day or special events.

Charlotte’s urban core has been called “Uptown” since a rebranding effort in the 1970s aimed at giving the city center a more positive and distinctive identity. The new campaign recaptures that energy as pole banners, transit wraps and social media posts encourage residents to head Uptown to “shake it up” and be the destination when they’re “all dressed up with someplace to glow.”

Building Lasting Connections

Beyond inspiring residents to “go up,” the campaign aims to increase Charlotte Center City Partners’ newsletter subscriptions and social media following. Going forward, these channels will provide constant touch points for the organization to connect with residents and showcase all that Uptown Charlotte has to offer.

Wray Ward also developed a marketing toolkit for Charlotte Center City Partners to foster collaboration with existing Uptown institutions. The toolkit offers specific recommendations such as promoting Uptown in employee communications, hosting concierge booths at performances or sporting events, featuring events in resident emails, sharing social media content ideas and more.

“By providing resources to our corporate community, we can collectively showcase experiences that happen only in Uptown,” said Thurmond. “This collaborative effort helps strengthen the fabric of our city, nurturing a sense of shared belonging central to our new marketing strategy.”

As Charlotte continues to grow, campaigns like this one remind us that connection, creativity and community are what truly bring a city to life — and Uptown is where it all begins. See you there!

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