Situation
One of the nation’s largest owners and operators of grocery-anchored neighborhood shopping centers was focused on reactivating broker relationships and driving leasing activity across its Chicago retail portfolio. Despite strong assets, including several grocery-anchored centers, multiple spaces had remained vacant for over a year. Traditional outreach had stalled, and outdated contact information made it hard to reconnect with brokers who were once active in the portfolio.
To accelerate reengagement, the team leaned into a new strategy centered on digital visibility, precise targeting, and timely messaging.
Strategy
With a clear goal of reconnecting with brokers and converting stalled conversations into closed deals, the team partnered with RealtyAds to deliver property-specific messaging to the right audiences. The AI-native platform allowed the team to supplement its internal contact database, engage brokers with relevant digital touchpoints, and stay top of mind throughout each stage of the leasing process.
The team’s digital strategy lead shared a detailed customer journey map that closely mirrored the RealtyAds framework, highlighting where and how brokers were reengaging at every stage. In cases where broker contact information was missing or outdated, RealtyAds’ AI Assistant provided updated contacts, enabling the team to reestablish relationships that had otherwise gone quiet.
Throughout the effort, the team reviewed engagement trends, refined messaging, and used digital insights to guide broker follow-up, blending tech-enabled visibility with traditional execution.
Result
Between April and July, the team closed nine leases across its Chicago portfolio. Each broker involved had directly engaged their digital touchpoints, reinforcing the role visibility played in reviving leasing conversations. What began as a focused effort to re-engage a cold market evolved into a repeatable framework that the team can apply to broker relationships and deal flow across other regions.
By combining AI-native targeting with a relationship-driven approach, the team overcame data limitations, regained visibility, and delivered results in one of its most challenging markets.
