FIU's marketing 'brand manger' wants to persuade the Grove residents to go along with their plan

As you know, FIU seems to be sticking it's tentacles out into the Grove. They are part of the County's plans for the playhouse, and now FIU wants to build on a portion of the Kampong to put a satellite school.

To that end, FIU reached out to me and asked for help in persuading the neighbors who are against the proposal. This came from FIU's "Brand Manger."  Yup, FIU has a brand manger and her name is Andrea Plasencia. Her title is "Brand Manager" of the Division of External Relations, Strategic Communications & Marketing for FIU.

She says, and I quote, "Our challenge is that the residents of the area don’t really like having this center in the area. Therefore, we want to change their perception and educate them by showing value of the research that is being done there. We’re looking for some options including print and digital – including social media posts. However, these efforts need to be extremely targeted to the Grove."

She went on, "The target audience is residents, meaning the local community (specifically adults). Timing for the campaign is 2 weeks. Launch date is as soon as the client approves the proposal."

It reminds me of the Home Depot so long ago. They are not wanted in the residential neighborhood so rather than pack their bags and go, they are now proposing a marketing challenge, "with a target audience, extremely targeted to the Grove."

I of course, declined.

Day and night classes eventually planned by FIU, in this quiet south Grove neighborhood, will disrupt the area. The structure will be a total of almost 19,000 square feet added to this precious green space. The structure will be taller than most trees on the property and clearly be seen from Douglas Road. And that area is congested already.

That green area will be a school building if approved, with a large lit parking lot, where the green fields are now.

A "College/University" is strictly prohibited as part of the Miami21 planning code, so the whole issue could be moot. The land where the campus will go is zoned as “T3-R/NCD 3 Residential/ Suburban” single-family home district.