iPIX and Kubix allow buyers to tour virtual buildings via CD-Roms or websites. David Mann looks at how marketers are using this new tool
A CD-Rom marketing an executive home in Cheshire and the website for Hollywood hit Lara Croft: Tomb Raider might not appear to have anything in common. But both use the same technology: iPIX interactive digital imaging technology. Developed in the US, iPIX is used to create 55m images on the internet every day and has been used on hundreds of high-profile corporate websites.
It is one of a growing number of digital products available to the property world that have vastly increased the scope for property marketing. With the latest imaging techniques it is possible for a potential property buyer to see every square inch of a property from the comfort of their own PC.
The latest mapping technology allows detailed virtual tours of buildings – anything from luxury residential developments to distribution warehouses.
Jones Lang LaSalle is marketing the unconventional Ark office building in Hammersmith, W6. An integral part of its campaign is the interactive photography used on the scheme’s website (see Contacts box opposite). In common with Lara Croft, the photography is driven by the iPIX system.
Jonathon Wallis of JLL’s national offices team says that the imagery gives an excellent initial view of the property. But he adds: “It doesn’t do the building justice, although as a method of sorting initial interest it is a good one. It will never substitute looking for yourself.” He thinks high-quality imagery is vital for any marketing campaign. But he warns: “If it’s not good enough, it can be detrimental.”
Wallis says use of systems such as iPIX is now commonplace. North West and Midlands-based Development Solutions and design house One Oak Studios recently launched a virtual property viewer based on the iPIX system. The system uses 360-degree digital photographs to build a panoramic view of any space. Combining the iPIX system with an internet-style presentation and navigation system allows users to roam through an entire property.
So far the system has mainly been adopted by residential developers, but Development Solutions director Christopher Shaw claims it is an invaluable marketing tool for commercial developers and agents as well. It is possible to use the system online or on CD-Rom, but as Shaw says: “The internet has overtaken the CD [in terms of property marketing] because there is far more access to it than there was a few years ago. That is where people will look to demonstrate and view properties.”
One residential developer is using the system to create a series of virtual show homes. It is rounding up images from its best show homes around the country and these can all be viewed from a website. The same images are also being loaded onto CD-Rom for PC-based presentation by the developer’s sales staff.
Shaw says iPIX is taking off in the property industry. “Anyone who sees the system can relate to it, so the key is to promote it. There is always great acceptance of it when potential clients see it.”
Another company using similar imaging technology is London-based Kubix, which provides video and virtual tour display systems for property marketing.
Kubix, formed in 1999, originally focused on residential property. The company developed touch-screen consoles for estate agents’ windows. Housebuyers could search for the type of property they were after and once they found something suitable, they could then call up videos of the property.
The system is already used by 24 residential and commercial agents, including Ross Jaye Velleman, Harrods Estates, Haslams and Hamptons.
Kubix managing director Dominic Speelman says that he can provide a complete digital brochure: “Images, tenancy schedules, maps, etc can be bundled into a single file, which can then be e-mailed.”
When the product was first launched, Speelman says initial response was slow: “It was quite difficult to crack the residential market. At first they didn’t understand it and wouldn’t give it the time of day. But I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the commercial guys took to it. In three months, we got 15 regular commercial clients.”
Ross Jaye Velleman is one commercial client which has used Kubix to market three buildings so far. Kubix’s system includes panoramic imaging.
The firm’s Paul Velleman says that the Kubix system is good value for money. “I don’t like to spend my clients’ money willy-nilly. The system costs less than £1,000. A decent brochure is at least double that, as is a print advert,” he says.
However, the paperless property marketing campaign is still far from being a reality. Velleman thinks the system is a complementary means to market property and will not completely replace traditional marketing tools. “The phone is still the best way to market a property,” he claims.
Most design houses and digital agencies will tell you that the property industry is slow to take on board the full range of products and services available. One London-based designer claims that there is still a great deal of apathy in property circles when it comes to virtual imaging products. He is frustrated by the lack of interest in some of his company’s products, which he believes offer real value for money.
Development Solutions says it can produce 1,000 CD-Roms at an average price of around £1 per CD. To achieve the same unit cost when printing brochures would require an enormous print run. The other advantage of using these CDs is that they can be updated as developments progresses, unlike paper brochures, which in extreme cases end up being pulped when projects change.
Developers see virtual imaging systems as an additional marketing tool rather than a replacement. As Shaw points out, the system can save money in the marketing process but it will not replace the traditional brochure just yet. “The property industry is still quite traditional in its way of thinking,” Shaw states.
Another agency head, who asked not to be named, claims the property industry is “not open to innovation”. He bemoans the “inherent conservatism” rife in property circles about adopting digital marketing techniques.
But despite designers’ gripes, some firms are relying more and more on new imaging techniques. London agent Godfrey Vaughan markets all its properties on the internet and uses virtual brochures. Partner Charles Godfrey says that the firm let 6 Grosvenor Street in the West End for Grosvenor Estates through a CD marketing campaign.
Godfrey says: “We keep an archive of video clips now for marketing purposes. We don’t use a print brochure on one in three of our campaigns now.” The firm uses a Florida-based design house to produce all its multimedia content.
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How to construct a virtual building |
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Emperor Vision’s 3D imaging for Kinnaird House |
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Emperor Vision was asked to draw up high-quality images to market Kinnaird House, near Trafalgar Square in London. These images were constructed from architects’ CAD drawings. Because the property was a retained facade development, the images for marketing the scheme were all computer-generated.Emperor’s Paul Bagnall says: “The starting point was the architects’ CAD drawings, which were stripped down and imported into a piece of software called 3d Studio Max. The software builds an accurate geometric model of the building. Once the simulated building is created, the image is superimposed on top of a real picture of the site. By creating pictures of the building’s interior and combining them with the building’s outer image, the cutaway sections are designed.”Once this virtual building has been created, Bagnall explains, the images can be used as the basis of videos, websites and other interactive materials to showcase the development.The 3D model can also form the basis of a virtual tour. Bagnall explains: “We have produced tours that are just simple movies circling developments, but the user has controls to move backwards and forwards through the movie and zoom in and out to see more detail.”At the moment, this type of imaging technology is mainly confined to CD-Roms or computers in marketing suites. Broadband internet access will mean that more of these techniques will be available on websites, Bagnall says. Systems such as iPIX can be used with narrowband internet access,but high-quality video streaming will revolutionise web-based imaging technology. |
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Contacts |
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They can picture your requirements |
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Kubix – www.kubix.com |
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Emperor Vision – www.emperorvision.com |
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iPIX Internet Pictures Corporation – www.ipix.com |
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The Ark – www.thelondonark.com |
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Godfrey Vaughan – www.godfreyvaughan.co.uk |
