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Branding     
 
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Real Estate Company Brand Building
Posted By: shaan.bahra* on 8/25/2006 9:15 AM (CST) 125 Points
A real eastate comapny wants to advertise in newspapers and radio... promoting their company and not their product. They want people to know about the comapny before they launch their real estate project/ product.
Its not a new comapny, they have done many projects but never advertised in a big way to build a brand. They cant talk much about their earlier projects as they were in collaboration with other companies.

The competion with other realestate companies are high in terms of advertising. This company buildshousing socities, malls and all kinds of construction.

1) What are the catch lines they should use to create an effect on people and the market
2) Wat kind of advertisemenst they should come up with
3) how they should position themselves

The main idea is to tell people that they are a real estate company with a difference. What difference is wat we have to suggest in order to position them.

Thanks in Advance
Shaan

Posted by: Focus Fields Accepted Answer
8/25/2006 11:14 PM (CST)
1) What are the catch lines they should use to create an effect on people and the market
2) Wat kind of advertisemenst they should come up with
3) how they should position themselves

Actually, we should be asking you these questions. Rather, we need to know the answer to the last one before being able to do the first 2. If the company doesn't know the answer to number three, I'd hold off on the ad and spend some time and money on figuring out my brand positioning.

Tell us a bit more about the company other than that they are different.

JMR
 
Posted by: shaan.bahra* Author Response
8/25/2006 11:29 PM (CST)
That is exactly what i am supposed to think for them... i need to think where to position them.. Thats why i ask the question here as to how to position the brand...!!

:(
 
Posted by: greg Accepted Answer
8/26/2006 12:25 PM (CST)
I must agree strongly with Focus.

Position is more than just a marketing point. It is the core of company operations. You can't do this for them. This is something that only you and they can establish face to face.

Since they are launching their own product, it's important to focus on this change. It's not always where they are now or have been in collaborative projects, but where they want to be as they move forward. What is their vision? Do they even have a vision statement? Can this be defined in such a way as to create position advantage? Once that is established, everything the company does is focused on establishing/growing/maintaining that position.

Why can't they talk about their previous projects? Did they sign an agreement to keep quiet? Assuming these were successful projects, I'd build trust on what they have done in collaboration, then shift the focus to their new projects. This is where position is critical as you emphasize that they are stepping away from the collaborative efforts to follow their own vision.
 
Posted by: shaan.bahra* Author Response
8/26/2006 11:33 PM (CST)
Well wat they think is that if they start advertising abt their new project, they will not get the milage as no one knows their name... they would react like "oh another one!"... and they dont want to be just another one.
They can talk only about a few projects but not all coz they only provided the land and the finance to other companies to build the project. the others they have done themselves are comparitively smaller.
And even the new project is in collaboration with a company which has a brand name... so they want their brand establishment before they talk abt the new project as both the companies logos would be present...!! so you see there is a critical catch 22 situation..
 
Posted by: spagnolos Accepted Answer
8/27/2006 12:24 AM (CST)
I work for a national production company that produces complete ad campaigns for many industries, (Banks, Hospitals, Foundations, Auto Dealers, to name a few, and as of August 1, REALTORS...
The Positioning Statement we use in this campaign is, SIGNS OF SUCCESS, using the "signs" realtors use as a focal point, and playking off of the multi-meaning word.
The campaigns are of the highest quality, (Great theme music in full vocal and instrumental, Strong, high quality personalized commercials in :30's and :60's, Newspaper Templates, Billboard and Indoor Aretwork, etc. and costs are kept very affordable through syndication..

Realtors in teh US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia(Or Ad Agencies, or interested persons from the industires mentioned) are invited to contact me for more detailed information.
John Spagnolo
[Phone number deleted by staff]
 
Posted by: Brandscape* Accepted Answer
8/27/2006 11:35 PM (CST)
I'm not too sure a "campaign" is the way to go - at least not yet. Too many of us confuse advertising and publicity with branding. Brands are not necessarily build by advertising and catchy phrases. I would advise that you start with introspection. Start by discovering what your brand is really about. This will enable you to create a brand promise you can keep across the board and will also make it obvious what you wish to communicate to the market.
 
Posted by: shaan.bahra* Author Response
8/28/2006 12:20 AM (CST)
Well, thats wat these people are looking for, they dont know what their brand is all about... and i am supposed to decide it and take it forward.. its like as if its my company...
 
Posted by: spagnolos Member Response
8/29/2006 1:03 AM (CST)
The challenge was for them to prmote the COMPANY and not their PRODUCT.. That is exactly what effective BRANDING accomplishes. If you google "Jack Trout" or "Al Ries" (The 2 most recognized "guru's" on the subject)+ "Branding" or "Positioning" you'll find volumes to support the process of using a full CAMPAIGN to accomplish a brand or positioning statement. Doing less is like taking 25% of your antibiotic prescription.. Might as well have taken none of it.
"Have it YOUR Way"; "Like a Good Neighbor", "You're in GOOD Hands", "Good to the last Drop", "Always Room for JELLO". etc.... ALL were enormous successes because fo BRANDING CAMPAIGNS.. "Spotty Advertising, even if memorable, does not build a BRAND.. Remember "Joe ISUZU"?... GREAT commercials, but NOBODY knew Isuzu made cars and pick ups as well as the Trooper... That was the intent of the ads; THEY FAILED.. Isuzu stopped making cars!!!
Countless other text book failures and successes out there, but the fact is, you never hear of BRANDING COMMERCIALS... only BRANDING CAMPAIGNS...
Walk into any STAPLES.. First thing you see on the door is a poster with and EASY BUTTON on it.. Even after the customer is IN THE STORE, they still need to be reminded of the BRAND..
 
Posted by: Focus Fields Member Response
8/29/2006 7:12 PM (CST)
Well, if this company doesn't know what this brand is about, the good news is that you can't do it wrong. You basically have a clean slate, blank sheet of paper to work with. This is actually a great opportunity to have that doesn't come along that often.

This is complex work, however, and if you don't have the marketing background to handle this, I would recommend some professional help. You will need to define the brand positioning, brand personality, develop selling and product messages, create customer segmentation, and maybe even complete some creative work such as naming and visual brand elements.

Just get started and check in. We can help you know if you're heading in the right direction.

JMR
 
Posted by: shaan.bahra* Author Response
8/29/2006 11:20 PM (CST)
if you could give me some idea on that it would help.
gimme some ideas , some slogans, some creative thought, a copy may be.
 
Posted by: Focus Fields Member Response
8/31/2006 7:49 PM (CST)
You need to forget about creative right now. You don't even know what the company stands for (neither do your employers). Any creative you do now will be a waste of money. First, you have to define what your brand is about, what position it should own in the market, what is special about it, why people should care, what you do, what you don't do, how you do it, and on and on. These can all be summed up very simply however, but you need to take the time to answer these things first BEFORE you do any creative...this includes names, taglines, slogans, ads, brochures, etc.

If you don't know where to start, check out our company's guide on this very subject: http://www.focusfields.com/Brand%20Blueprint.html

You need to be able to define all of the steps up through (and including) the Brand Promise. If you can't go to your employer and get them to do it. You can't do any creative without this. PERIOD. After you have this, you can move onto the next steps and review how we approach the creative process (find the starburst on the page) to get you started. Post here or email if you have questions.

Good luck,
JMR
 
Posted by: cmiller* Accepted Answer
9/1/2006 10:27 AM (CST)
How about a soft-sell approach. Most agents & firms pounce on prospects and require things like registrations (online) to view basic information on homes, etc. Consumers typically push back on this approach, and are hesitant to contact firms b/c of this fear. There's a thing called ice-burg effect that says 80% of real-estate shoppers are under the water, not exposing themselves to any agent or firm, out of fear of being bugged. Instead build a theme around "experts that assist you" with a soft sell consultative approach.

Ex. They could use a tool like www.cingo.com/success to offer people a private search at home way to find all the MLS real-estate homes for sale in their area, with the notion that when the person finds a home they are interested in, they can contact the firm "when they are ready to - not being forced to".

Also they could offer a PDF free download book on steps to buying, selling a home. Don't require any registration - not even email - but instead co-brand links back to their site, or branding inside the ebook. In-other-words, give consumers an education, and in return, they will choose to do business with the firm that helped them, without attacking or pressuring them... exactly what a sales consultant should do.

It' the magnetism sales approach expressed in my friends training program found at www.dancingelephants.net articles (free). See what I mean with two week no obligation sales training program from Dancing Elephants here: www.try52salesboosters.com

Hope this gives you some unique mind-shift approaches to the typical "branding" approach.
 
Posted by: ssimmons* Accepted Answer
9/1/2006 11:10 AM (CST)
Branding is your goal, but what is your end-customer's goals when dealing with your company? What motivates the customer to purchase a house and in the location that they do. Is it affordability, quality, location to employment or other amenities, a safe place for kids....

Your company needs to understand the lifestyle choices that drive a customer to purchase from them and then find a unique positioning message. That message will then become the foundation of the branding efforts.

Small developments could translate into a a message like: "Your Personal Home Builder"; "Where The American Dream Happens".... Whatever works to speak to your customer base (which can be very wide if you are just trying to get name recognition at first) then look at the partnering company and analyze their message for a tie in to the over all target audience that you will ultimately sell too.
 
Posted by: carrie77 Moderator Response
9/9/2006 5:24 AM (CST)
Hello Everyone,

I am closing this question since it's more than 2 weeks old. We do this to reward the contributions of participants in a timely manner + to give increased visibility to the newer questions.

Thanks for participating!
Carrie (Production Editor)
 


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