The Challenge
North Hills started as an outdoor mall in Raleigh, NC, built in 1960. In 1967, it became not only the first enclosed mall in Raleigh, but the first two-story, air-conditioned indoor mall between Washington, DC, and Atlanta. Over the years, this prime location has seen an erratic pattern of development, but that all changed when Kane Realty Corporation bought the site in 2001 and transformed North Hills into an extremely desirable mix of retail, dining, entertainment, commercial office space, residential, and even retirement living.
Eckel & Vaughan’s assignment was to help visitors, influencers, and industry leaders nationwide understand what makes North Hills a real place — a magnet community where people live, work, play, and experience.
The Strategy
We started by revitalizing the current North Hills website — transforming it into an experience that closely mirrored a visit to the physical property: easy to navigate, informational, and engaging. The website is organized around the simple, but important, question, “What do you want to do at North Hills today?”
Partnering with O3, one of the most innovative Web development firms in Raleigh, we created a vibrant website that effectively communicates the look, feel, and vision of North Hills to shoppers, diners, employers, and potential residents.
We also built a brand-new blog for the website, “North Hills Live,” which enables North Hills to share its perspectives on trends, innovation, and big ideas in development and placemaking.
