Question

Topic: Strategy

How To Create Awareness For An Office Building?

Posted by Anonymous on 2/4/2008 at 5:50 AM ET 25 Points
Hi! I need some ideas how to bring awareness to a high end office building, that is still being built?

I need to attack the local community and the very niche target market! Some good ideas on events, PR campaigns, sponsorships, local community awareness building would be nice. Or anything you might think of! :)

Thanks for your help!
Daniel
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 2/4/2008 at 9:24 AM Accepted
    If people can see the building being built, you already have awareness. If you want to focus attention on the prospective renters, then show renderings of the how the space can be used, or list specific renting businesses you're interested in attracting. Besides charging high-end rents, what services/location do you offer that sets you apart from other office buildings in your area. Focus your message on that.
  • Posted on 2/4/2008 at 9:47 AM Author
    Thanks for the prompt reply, but this is already done. I was thinking of unconventional methods of getting some awareness for potential tenants and local community.
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 2/5/2008 at 8:33 AM Accepted
    If your city is like most, there are many new commercial building projects going on-- and yours can be lost in the flurry. Think of the reasons people should rent in your building, vs the space next door.

    What service to the community does your building give? For example, today just building to code brings a lot more enviro attributes such as energy savings and good indoor air quality than older buildings. Who are your major tenants? Are you offering incubator space or incentives for nonprofits to rent?

    Carol
    Sell Well and Prosper tm
  • Posted on 2/5/2008 at 9:04 AM Author
    Very well, my advantage is location as it it in an unconventional part of the city, close to an upscale residential area, where I hope the CEOs of the potential tenants may live.

    I was hoping to get some unconventional promotional ideas (events, guerilla campaigns, etc) that may create awareness and may deliver results.

    Of course by all means I have professional leasing agencies working on deals as well, but they work for 100 other developers as well and I want my building to be on the top of the list of prospective tenants.

    Any thoughts on unconventional communication methods?? Help me, please!
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 2/5/2008 at 9:55 AM Member
    Then what you want is the neighboring CEO's (and I assume you know the demographics of the neighborhood and they are there) to "see" the building first. And the more promotion you do of the building, the easier their sale-- and it moves you to their top of mind. I'm thinking the building has scaffolding etc. How about a large image of a King Kong climbing up the side? This time of year they probably have some shrink wrap to keep some warmth for the workers-- why not use it? With a tagline that you are have a "monster proportion" of amenities to your leasers? You can run with that image in postcards, leasing literature etc.

  • Posted on 2/5/2008 at 10:47 AM Author
    Thanks for the reply. Scaffold printing is truly a great idea, I did think of it before. King Kong is great, too bad it was just used on a BB campaign recently by a Mall here where I live. (or perhaps it was godzilla)

    Great idea, though.
    Do you have any other good ideas??? :)

    Daniel
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 2/5/2008 at 11:09 AM Member
    Then use any monsterish creature. The idea was just conceptual. Creating something original negates possible licensing requirements.

    Reach out to the community-- your movers and shakers are doing work with nonprofits-- many on board level positions. Target who you want as tenants-- their website will tell you which groups they support. Fusion market with these groups or other businesses in the areas. Gallery openings are well attended-- combining art with wine. Get involved with mentoring in vistage, which is a group of only CEO mentors. While their website is vistage.com, I'd advise you to google it-- you'll find several CEO groups.

    I am a certified guerrilla marketing coach -- and was a founder of the CO Chapter, US Green Building Center. I found a case study of a "less desirable" office building who touted their green attributes-- and went to a building with a waiting list. Tout what it means to a tenant-- less sick days and absenteeism. (You can document that on www.usgbc.org.) Create a "green" monster wrap and tie it to appropriate taglines-- like "down with sick days". One we used that at least grabbed eyes (and was our most wanted) was "give waterless urinals a chance". Talk to your builder-- you have a lot of attributes you are ignoring.

    In CO, I have been to and been invited to scores more "green building" dedications where our mayor was invited and gave keynotes.
  • Posted on 2/5/2008 at 11:22 AM Author
    Great ideas!!!
    Thanks a bunch!
  • Posted on 2/6/2008 at 12:32 PM Accepted
    Like someone said before, the best advertising is the building itself. I remember livin in NYC and in Astor Place there was this grandeous building going up and after 6 mths a banner finally went across the top and it just had the website on it. Within a day, there was over 15k hits to the site. Pretty amazing.
  • Posted by mdlugozima on 2/12/2008 at 10:30 AM Accepted
    It sounds like you have the usual features and benefits sales pitch covered (dollar per square ft., triple net lease, etc...). May I suggest you now appeal to a buyer's "middle brain" and "old brain" next? A human's middle and old brains are the ones we've had for millions of years, and they respond to pleasure and pain, not rational thought (see article link below). They avoid pain and seek pleasure. The old brain is focused purely on survival and the middle brain on emotion. Some marketers believe these 2 brains are the ultimate decision makers. What if you tried a middle brain marketing campaign? Here goes: Your building will be x number of stories tall. Your building is in an unconventional part of town. I therefore suggest you focus on actual stories about the neighborhood, or stories about the signed tenants. Maybe the building sits on a site where there was an old baseball stadium or city market, so do research and find some interesting stories from the past. Or an anchor tenant is a successful company that donates 10% of revenue to "One Laptop Per Child". Your tagline could be, "This building has way more than 10 stories." Then CEOs would get interested and you could produce sales literature that contained inserts with stories and historical photographs. You get the concept. Finally the close would be something similar to, "Isn't it time to add your own story?"

    https://www.marketingprofs.com/4/greenfield1.asp
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