The property industry still has much to learn about marketing, but it is improving. As a judge at the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors’ Property Advertising Marketing and Design Awards, I found that, happily, there are some strong marketing professionals who will be honoured at the awards presentation on 25 February. But I also found, as I sifted through 450 entries, that there were lessons that could improve marketing right across the industry.
Most people now know that a campaign means more than a brochure and a single ad in the trade press. There were many examples of PR campaigns designed to generate coverage in business and local press. There was also strong evidence that the sector is at last taking direct marketing more seriously – and mailers included teaser campaigns, postcards, competitions and other items linked strongly to the brand or name of the particular firm or development.
Regarding advertising, I found that the property sector has learned to take advice from professional designers for its printed materials and PR consultancies for its media coverage and investor relations. But it seems that advertising agencies have not yet been invited to the party.
For simple ads promoting an industrial building in the property trade press there is probably little need for any professional input. But there is for a major new residential or mixed-use development – for who within the sector really understands consumer psychology and mass advertising?
There were many entries for websites and CD-ROMs, some of which were excellent. Sadly, few of the entries in the other categories made much reference to their electronic marketing elements – so integrated electronic campaigns still remain something for the sector to aspire to.
Furthermore, there was no evidence of effective online advertising, viral mailers, permission campaigns or text messaging – and in other sectors these are among the fastest growing areas.
The vast majority of property marketing is based on the right people being in the right place at the right time. Yet there were hardly any entries based on creative and effective events. And despite the huge amounts of money spent at major exhibitions such as MIPIM, no one felt their efforts there merited attention in the awards.
Although the quality of the design, photographs and images has improved over the past few years, the quality of the key messages and written words has not.
The few printed materials that had taken care to highlight key messages that would be of interest to the reader, use powerful expressions or a funny phrase stood out from the rest like diamonds among dust. Great design grabs attention and draws the reader in – yet the copy must be compelling if it is to hold the reader’s attention and sell.
Several organisations had submitted multiple entries. However, visually – and content-wise – these entries from the same stable were very different to eachother. It is vital that the overall impressions created within a market as small as real estate are consistent with the organisation’s overall corporate identity and market positioning.
But let us put these negative thoughts aside as we await the announcement of the winners – for they deserve their accolade and provide exemplars to us all.
Kim Tasso is an independent marketing consultant and writer
