Creative strikes gold at Oro Ballantyne
Oro Ballantyne offers beautiful tower and mid-rise apartment residences at the heart of The Bowl – Charlotte, North Carolina’s newest dining, retail, and entertainment destination. Located in the lush and expansive mixed-use development at Ballantyne, Oro is positioned “for high-rise residents with high expectations,” a differentiator beyond its suburban submarket. There’s just nothing like it.
AMBITIOUS IN SCALE + GENEROUS IN CHARACTER
Beginning in late 2023, Hickok Cole Creative partnered with Northwood Office and Bozzuto Management to develop a comprehensive branding and marketing strategy for Ballantyne’s second residential project, an iconic 27-story, 356-unit tower offering a range of apartment options, from sweet studios to sprawling three-bedroom penthouse units. The goal: “a brand strategy for a brand experience unlike any other.”
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Oro Ballantyne would be set to deliver more than just beautiful apartments. Touting a robust and welcoming amenity suite, residents would have access to a speakeasy behind a hidden door, trendy dining and retail along a walkable woonerf, and a variety of outdoor experiences, including a front row seat to The Amp music venue and hundreds of acres of green space and walking trails. With the help of Northwood and Bozzuto’s high-touch, committed, and trusted management teams validating the brand experience every day, this project would prove to be something special. It only needed residents with expectations to match.
A MIDAS MOMENT
In a rare blend of hospitality-driven features, above-and-beyond amenities, and the building’s sunlit champagne-gold panel façade details, the name Oro came to be. Simple, symmetrical, and romantic, Oro (Italian or Spanish for gold), embodied the style, intrigue, and excellence of a towering icon. From there, further details emerged: a “buckle” monogram reminiscent of heritage brands and luxury vehicles, a shimmering pattern abstracted from the millwork in the lobby’s Great Room, a seasonal palette with textural neutrals and rich accents, and a brand voice with unparalleled style.
UNEXPECTED. UNFORGETTABLE. UNMATCHED.
The Oro Ballantyne kit of parts pairs fashion house swagger with seasonal sophistication and a leisurely lifestyle aesthetic. Together, the kit expresses an attractive, destination-focused attitude, representative of the building’s unexpected amenity suite, unforgettable neighborhood offerings, and altogether unmatched living experience.
WORTH ITS WAIT IN GOLD
Beginning with early brand awareness, including a striking website and signage, Oro Ballantyne’s marketing attracted over 500 leads in advance of November 2024 pre-leasing. Deliverables, including a comprehensive leasing website, digital advertising, outreach, business papers, tour engagement tools such as a custom “portfolio” folder and glistening trifold brochure, and even amenity naming, completed the Oro experience for its potential—and already pre-leased—community. With phased delivery set to complete in October 2025, Oro has already made a splash with residents and has the reviews to prove it.
Renderings and photography courtesy of Northwood. Architecture and Interior Design by SK+I Architecture.