Case study · Multifamily portfolio

North Union

Marketing a growing set of new towers inside JDL's 8.1-acre North Union neighborhood on Chicago's Near North Side.

Location: Near North Side, Chicago
Developer: JDL
Buildings: 920 N Wells, 868 N Wells, 871 N Franklin
Industry: Multifamily

Night rendering of the North Union towers and Chicago skyline

2,656

Homes planned across the North Union master plan

+78%

Year-over-year website traffic at 920 N Wells

+138%

Google Ads traffic at 868 N Wells

~$10K

Total media spend to fill 871 N Franklin

The challenge

Several new buildings, one neighborhood, and the same Near North Side renters.

North Union is JDL's $1.3 billion, 8.1-acre development on the former Moody Bible Institute campus, with about 2,656 homes planned. Every building needed its own identity and its own lead flow, without bidding against its neighbors.

What we did

One shared Google Ads account, with a separate strategy for every building.

Search and display. Google Search, display and retargeting by building and neighborhood, including Gold Coast targeting.
Social-first lease-up. At 871 N Franklin, Meta campaigns built around the loft-style homes did most of the work.
Programmatic. StackAdapt display for awareness across Chicago.
Local SEO and listings. Business Profile and citation cleanup. 920 N Wells' listing data started out only 17% correct.
AI visibility. FAQ content written for AI search. ChatGPT now sends renters who convert.
Monthly reporting. GA4, Search Console, Business Profile, Google Ads, display and Meta in one report for the leasing team.

Search Ads Social Ads SEO & GEO Data & Analytics Marketing Strategy

Where it stands

871 N Franklin filled up in 2025 on about $10K in total media spend.

At 920 N Wells, website traffic is up 78% year over year and ChatGPT has started sending renters who convert. At 868 N Wells, Google Ads traffic more than doubled.