The Client — London City Island is a landmark 12-acre mixed-use development by EcoWorld Ballymore, located on a peninsula in the heart of East London. One of the capital's most ambitious waterside regeneration projects, the development encompasses multiple residential phases alongside cultural, commercial and community spaces. Johns&Co were appointed as sales and lettings agents, with McCooke Group engaged as communications and marketing partner across the full lifecycle of the development.

The Situation — London City Island presented a communications challenge of considerable scale and complexity. With multiple residential phases launching sequentially over an extended period, the campaign needed to sustain momentum, generate consistent sales interest and build a genuine sense of community and destination around the development — all while supporting Johns&Co in managing a rapidly growing portfolio of sold and let properties on the island.

The Challenge — A development of this scale and ambition requires communications that operate simultaneously across multiple dimensions. Each residential phase needed its own launch strategy while remaining part of a coherent overarching narrative. The development needed to be positioned not simply as a collection of apartments but as a destination — a place with its own identity, community and long term appeal. At the same time, the practical communications needs of an active sales and lettings operation had to be met consistently throughout, without allowing day to day activity to overshadow the broader brand building work.

What We Did — Our involvement spanned every stage of the development across an extended partnership. We provided strategic consultancy from the outset, conducting in-depth market research, developing pricing strategies, launch plans and competitor analyses that informed the successful market entry of each residential phase.

We developed a comprehensive suite of communications and marketing materials across the full campaign — including tenant demographic documents, area guides and evolving sales brochures — alongside monthly email marketing campaigns and social media content designed to maintain engagement and build a genuine sense of community among residents and prospective buyers alike.

Each phase launch was supported by dedicated launch events, designed to foster connection among residents and generate momentum around each new release. We also led the development of Johns&Co's flagship onsite office — including custom signage, floating digital displays and a content management system supporting weekly campaigns — creating a permanent, high quality communications presence at the heart of the development.

Media relations activity secured coverage across key property publications throughout the campaign, reinforcing London City Island's profile with buyers, investors and the broader market. A multi-platform campaign was also developed to support the onsite office launch, ensuring the development's communications continued to evolve in line with its growth.

The Results — London City Island has been established as one of London's most distinctive and desirable waterside destinations, with a communications programme that has sustained sales momentum, supported lettings management and built genuine community across multiple phases over an extended period. Each residential phase launched successfully into the market, supported by a coherent strategy that balanced phase-specific activity with the broader development narrative. Johns&Co's onsite presence was elevated through a flagship office that reflects the quality and ambition of the development it represents, and the partnership continues to support London City Island's ongoing growth and appeal.