what creates brand perception | a study of lambert ranch

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~hello…this blog has moved over to the new HM-2 website…here. Stop by.~

We’ve all had times where we go in with one understanding of a product and after experiencing it further – we completely change our minds. This recently happened to me and got me thinking more about what creates our perception of brands. Enjoy!

context is where brand perception starts

Consider a new residential community that recently opened in Orange County. It is called Lambert Ranch, located in Irvine and developed by The New Home Company.

In that sentence, the two established brands of Orange County and Irvine (if you are familiar with Southern California) are influencing what you think about Lambert Ranch. The New Home Company is a newer brand and unless you know the “who” behind the company, the first impression may be that they create generic and maybe even pre-fab houses. This may form the initial context of the Lambert Ranch brand for many people.

Now, let’s add in what people have been saying about Lambert Ranch.  A little time on Google and there is not that much there. A few press releases, a bit of bashing on some housing forums, social networks are rather quiet and the website a touch generic.  So that area of influence was rather un-influential.  

Lambert Ranch signThe Marketing. Most of the outreach effort for Lambert Ranch focused on public relations and email communication. Then there is the banner on the property…right next door to competitor Portola Springs.  The homebuilder wisely used tracking URLs in their efforts and I would bet this banner diverted more than a few would-be Portola buyers to wait for Lambert Ranch.

The number of homebuyers visiting Lambert Ranch that grand opening weekend was about 3,000. The New Home Company sold out of their first phases and the activity continues strongly as of the time of this post. So that worked.

experience clarifies perception

I had just left Lambert Ranch which had its official grand opening the weekend before and was absolutely “blown away” by my experience.

“Why did I love that place so much?”

“Because you were expecting another Irvine subdivision” replied a colleague.  She was right. From my online sleuthing, I just wasn’t excited to see this community. It felt like another Irvine new home neighborhood opening. Nice entry. Nice Parks. Nice Pool. Nice Homes and somewhat small yards…again.

It is hard to describe experiences as you feel them and they are personal.  So some pictures (with MORE on Pinterest)…

Lambert Ranch entrywayDrove up…human sign people at each intersection (√ check). nice gate house (√ check). pavers up the entry road (√ check)…and then it changed.

Lambert Ranch feels like character – but not the type an architect, landscape architect or nature achieves alone. It’s the sum of the nuances that make the total.

Details like -

…the grasses waving in drifts under the mature pepper trees,

Lambert Ranch Trail…the quiet trail behind the Ranch House (swim & event center),

…the lemons on the trees in front of the Ranch House, when you know this place just opened and the activity everywhere (even the inventive driving felt positive)


Lambert Ranch architecture 2…the architecture that deftly conveys timeless authenticity in craft and blends indoor with outdoor life gorgeously.

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...the quiet hum, excitement and freedom of people exploring as they felt they wanted to. Explorations of  backyards, balconies, side doors entries are all encouraged. Trap-fencing has been banished and replaced with encouraging hedges that let you escape as you like.

...the legacy trees that were preserved in place mandated using mature plant material in the new area to bring balance.  

The result makes the place feel like a neighborhood in an older city – but everything is new.

cosmopolitan irvine?

I’ve been hearing Irvine described as ‘cosmopolitan’ for awhile, but never felt it. Irvine has a very strong brand for me and ‘cosmopolitan’ wasn’t it.

At Lambert Ranch, to hear the different inflection in the voices wandering quietly through the homes and along the streets feels worldly. At one point a man paused unexpectantly in a doorway as his friend called out to him one last detail of an office in a language I couldn’t quite place.  When startled by the traffic jam he was causing, he quickly apologized in a local’s English. It was inspiring how he balanced two cultures so gracefully.   Cosmopolitan Irvine? Yes.

it is the delivery the builds brand perception & equity

Upon driving out of this place, the brand of  ‘Irvine’  and ‘The New Home Company‘ was changed for me. However, the brand of  ’Lambert Ranch‘  had taken a dramatic 180° turn in my mind.

The developer had delivered a story that was much more than another subdivision in Irvine. The story of Lambert Ranch is a story of design. The passion and care to pursue it and the love so many people have for it. It’s similar to the brand of Target, but with homes beginning in the $900,000s – it is obviously not for everyone.

Key Point: What you tell people via advertising may set an initial brand expectation. However, ‘who you are & what you do’  creates sustainable brand perception. Faced with a budget constraint, invest in being great over ‘telling people how great you are’.

FINAL THOUGHT: With 21 homes reserved, the first two phases of Lambert Ranch are sold out. They will be releasing 15 more homes very soon. I asked the sales people, if they believe they have already met the people who will purchase this next release. The answer was the same for all -a quiet smile and polite “yes we have an interest list that’s rather long”.

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Beyond Worth a  Visit:  Lambert Ranch 

More interior & exterior images (that are not as good as a real life visit) – are on Pinterest here. Your thoughts are always appreciated, or let’s connect over on Twitter at @HollyHM2.  Until next time…feel free to share and best wishes.

DISCLAIMER: I work in the building industry, but have never worked with The New Home Company or Lambert Ranch in any way. This post was not solicited and simply candid observations. 

NEXT TIME: Buyer Personas: how brands  ’get personal” or  ”where to start to create great content”. (promise)

Social Media Marketing & the “2-way conversation”…with pictures.

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~hello…this blog has moved over to the new HM-2 website…here. Stop by.~

By now everyone within 3 miles of a ‘marketing-type’ has heard the much bantered term “2-way conversation”.  Yes it was buzzy & now a touch tedious. STILL,  it is oh-so-surprising how many brands demonstrate confusion on the concept. Below is a once over …with pictures.

traditional marketing [1-to-many]

Traditional marketing was based on a company interrupting a lot of people’s attention span and telling them about how great your product was [1 - communicating to- many].  For the most part people would believe you and some would even take you up on your offer.

This approach worked..ages ago when people were less connected to information & unable to easily talk with other shoppers about options and brands.  Now – it mostly doesn’t work. Yet brands still cling to the old methods & logic. [I say mostly because there are methods of advertising that work today.]

Today there are several companies that use the NEW channels of social media with the OLD methods of  ”talking at” people. This is not a transitional method of marketing. It is a waste of money. For those who are especially strong in their sales broadcasting, not only can they be ignored, but they can also negatively impact their brand equity.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Traditional Marketing on Social Media channels is NOT Social Media Marketing.

2-way conversation [1-to-1 in front of many or privately]

Now technology has opened up communication and publishing one’s thoughts to the world is just a click of a button. Why just listen when you can tell them (& everyone) what you really think?  Consider that closely. 

EXERCISE: On a gorgeous weekend morning, read your brand’s blog, Facebook page, Twitter profile …

Honestly – was it interesting? Did you last a half hour?

If you were interested, chances are your brand is actually talking with people and you personally found it fascinating. Congratulations it appears your brand has the knack for being social in social media. 

Done well social media marketing  demonstrates why your brand is relevant to people and positions your brand to receive more referrals and sales. Connect well with one person at a time in social media spaces and many many more will be touched by your positive effort.

If you lasted 5 minutes or less, chances are you are marketing on a social media channel and broadcasting  fabulous product features at people.

BOTTOM-LINE: If you didn’t enjoy your brand’s content, what makes you think anyone else will?

Now…off the soap box. Thanks for stopping by and would love your thoughts or some positive examples.  Chime in here or let’s connect on Twitter @HollyHM2. 


brand strategy inspirations from a master – Coca-Cola

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~hello…this blog has moved over to the new HM-2 website…here.

Sharing marketing best practices & insights with the recovering real estate industry and beyond. Below for your enjoyment and inspiration are two videos by the global leader in the beverage category. 

Here Jonathan Mildenhall, Vice-President, Global Advertising Strategy & Creative Excellence at The Coca-Cola Company explains how “Coke will leverage the opportunities in the new media landscape and transform one-way storytelling into dynamic storytelling hoping to add value and significance to people’s lives.” 

I believe the videos outline brilliantly how Coca-Cola will move from “Creative Excellence” to “Content Excellence.”

Also, the fact that Coke has lifted back the curtain on their long term brand strategy via YouTube shows that they mean it & their efforts are already underway.

coca-cola’s Content 2020 

why share this?

  • to say “marketing is now content-driven”. This 125 year old icon is dealing with it and so can you.
  • to show how ‘brand strategy’ starts with a greater meaning and embraces business objectives. These aren’t just buzz words – it is a valid business concept.
  • to inspire you in innovation that embraces market trends; moves beyond formulaic approaches; and makes your brand increasingly relevant and interesting.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I’d love to hear what you think. Comment here or give me a shout on Twitter at @HollyHM2.  

As always – if you enjoyed this post – please share! Until next time – Cheers ;)

a cheat sheet on social media

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~hello…this blog has moved over to the new HM-2 website…here.

As social media changes so rapidly, perhaps a current overview on the active platforms may be helpful.  Below is another great infographic by Flowtown & ColumnFive .

some notes

While strong on fundamentals, a few “misses” & thoughts on the graphic…

  • LinkedIn…the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 150 million members. This network should be included as it is strong for recruiting and  ”B to B” marketing. Consider in 2011 57% of businesses reported acquiring a customer via LinkedIn- a higher % than Facebook &Twitter.  (source: HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing Report, 2011)
  • Objectives… while the “Pros” column touches on how the social media channel is strong, a bit more on how it works best in a marketing application would have been nice. Jumping into anything with out a clear objective is rather ridiculous imho. (Also, saying “we just need to have a presence”…isn’t a valid objective- no matter how many of competitors are in the space.)  [For more on marketing objectives in 2 more great infographics...click here.] 
  • Blogs…A blog is a social media channel which probably deserves a mention. Similar to LinkedIn - 57% of businesses reported acquiring a customer via a company blog.  (source: HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing Report, 2011). That said, some companies are dropping blogs due to the time and resources to maintain and are substituting in Facebook –  which isn’t a good idea in my opinion and a topic for another time.

Key Thought…  Today  marketing requires authentic connection and social media is here to stay.  So be strategic in your approach and where you participate  – do so remarkably well. Enjoy!  (click below to enlarge graphic)

Great Place | a sexy parking garage where design is the brand

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Part of “a great place” - a series of engaging spaces for consideration…and perhaps inspiration for the people who build places everyday. 

“How much design is too much design?” - the on-going challenge in building any product, including places. At the end of the day, development is a business and a major economic driver with employees, suppliers, contractors and yes – a profit requirement.

Bottom-line- New places need to “pencil” and the art is finding the balance of aesthetic design to financial feasibility. On one side- the “finance guys” don’t like risk & cheaper feels so-less-risky. On the other side- the “marketers” like to sell a product that people will actually find interesting & well…boring or ugly is so-less-sell-able.

That said, at times going beyond the known in design creates a powerful brand that people find engaging and value (think Apple). The Result: premium pricing, faster sales and lower promotion costs.

consider 1111 lincoln road

This much-lauded Miami project by Robert Wennett  brings together high-end architecture by Herzog & de Meuron with the lowly parking garage for a mere $65 million (NY times 1/11).

This complete re-imagining of a parking use responds brilliantly to the context of the property. Parking rates here are almost 400% the area average ($4 hour per car) and $12,000 -$15,000 (per event).(NY times 1/11).

design

First a brief recap of the land and the context when acquired in 2005. 

  • The developer’s property (59,889 S.F.) outlined in red 
  • Existing building with Brutalist architecture to remain.
  • South Beach climate is warm, tropical (with storms) and outdoor living oriented.
  • Famed pedestrian Lincoln Road outdoor mall almost adjacent to land.
  • “Quirky zoning regulations in the city made it profitable to build a large garage.” - (NY Times 1-23-11) 

The model to the right is of an initial possibility. This less costly – concept may have appeared a great, safe answer to a “finance guy” – which would have been a shame.

Enter Herzog & de Meuron. The architects saw an opportunity. They set out to redefine the parking garage experience into more of a “car salon” with shops, bars, event and housing components.

The massing of the garage was increased to match the existing building. The garage is airy and open responding to the climate and in contrast to the existing building, which brings a certain balance to the overall project. While garage height and cost to build increased significantly, the 255 parking spaces allowed did not. The multi-use programming of the project provides additional revenue streams.

Luckily for the developer, the City redeveloped the block of Lincoln Road adjacent to the property into an extension of the Lincoln Road outdoor mall. That obviously added incredible value & facilitated prime retail into the  ground level of both buildings.

brand

Once the decision was made to create a mix-use architectural statement of this caliber and incorporate it into the famed South Beach Lincoln Road lifestyle a brand began to develop of an uber-cool, high-profile international icon capable of attracting high-end leases, selling million+ condos and renting “parking space” for $12-$15K per event. The brand of 1111 Lincoln Road began at the design stage of development.

Promotion. 1111 Lincoln Road garnered international editorial press both online and offline. However the amount of user-generated content online is a huge component of the marketing mix and always focused on design – building the brand of an “uber-cool” design icon. For the truly interesting, social media is powerful.

The developer marketing by TCBC /NY stayed consistent with the brand by visually mimicking the architecture as much as possible and conveying “Modern. Fast. Adaptable. and Sensual.”  Intentionally they built brand equity in 11 11 Lincoln Road that supported all uses -”retail, residential, dining and parking experiences”. 

On the events. While most of the weddings, wine tastings, private parties and corporate events take place on the 7th floor of the garage, Ferrari used the 5th, 6th & 7th beautifully. Note: the 11 11 brand of high design, modern, fast, and sensual is in the same brand personality space as Ferrari – a strong synergy.

Worth a visit: 1111 lincoln road developer website  & HM-2 Pinterest board for more 

So do you love it..or not so much? Weigh in below or catch me on twitter at @HollyHM2. [If you would like an invite to Pinterest let me know below or on twitter - always happy to help ;) ] Coming soon…more on Pinterest – 10 million strong & growing.

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Interested in marketing innovation…  

Click here to get our new whitepaper  ’3 steps to…marketing a planned community’  

the definition of insanity

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“insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  -Albert Einstein

So why is this the first thing I write in what is supposed to be an inspiring marketing blog on the latest best practices out there?

Well – it’s a bit of tough love if you will.  As the building industry cautiously ramps up – things are tenuous at best.  We can’t change the economy and demand…but we can stop hanging on to old methodologies and throwing cash out the window – metaphorically speaking.

traditional marketing – used alone – doesn’t work any more.

Traditional Marketing practice “pushes” a message out to targeted consumers with the goal of catching their attention and inciting an action. (Examples: cold-calling, print & on-line advertising, TV & radio advertising, outdoor, direct mail /  e-blast to purchased lists and trade shows.) Here a company tells people why they should buy that product now, Now, NOW.

There was an intense shallowness in these customer relationships of the past and this seemed to work more-or-less for years. Until, of course it didn’t…and still doesn’t.  

[Interesting Note: the 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer found that over 70% of consumers in the United States feel advertising lies.] 

Used alone, traditional marketing’s results were on the decline years ago and it would be insane to again follow only traditional techniques. 

Interestingly, I’ve seen traditional “push” marketing ["buy my product"-"buy my product"]  used almost exclusively in Facebook posts, Twitter tweets and blogs. It not only doesn’t work there – it actually goes the extra mile and annoys people. 

Just because it’s a social media channel – doesn’t mean that’s how it’s being used by companies. Indeed, I’ve been watching a builder with a “social media staff” & a budget PUSH messaging  ["Grand opening at __" - "Get a home for only $___" -"Grand Opening Today..."] across social media without a break. It’s like watching a car accident in slow-motion. Painful.

Bottom-line -  Using only “push” marketing techniques in isolation should earn a ticket to the asylum.  However, integrating traditional techniques into a larger marketing strategy & mix… well that can be downright synergistic. 

there are other areas that make me wonder these days

  • Still not having a defined brand experience strategy, when everything is more transparent and personal than ever before in history. Seriously…many companies just “wing it” .
  • Still not using analytics and data regularly to improve marketing return and customer experience. Is it really “ok” today to not actively pursue improvement? Do equity partners feel this way?

last word..

Innovation. There are so many opportunities to be remarkably great. The developers and builders that pursue those opportunities will become the next market leaders.

consumer confidence trending up…right now

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On December 27, 2011, the Conference Board released their latest on Consumer Confidence. The trend over time is what is most telling. How volatile confidence is today is startling.  

2011 started off strong – only to peak in February and then decline through October.  As we head into 2012,  to have any good news on this front is – surprising and we’ll see.  Today, the Index is momentarily climbing.

 After two months of considerable gains, the Consumer Confidence Index is now back to levels seen last spring (April 2011, 66.0). Consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions improved again.

Looking ahead, consumers are more optimistic that business conditions, employment prospects, and their financial situations will continue to get better. While consumers are ending the year in a somewhat more upbeat mood, it is too soon to tell if this is a rebound from earlier declines or a sustainable shift in attitudes.” - Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center

10 years of consumer confidence

 The graph below provides a perspective using the  U.S. Consumer Confidence Index over the past tumultuous decade.

Some of the major events of the era are noted to illustrate their effects on how people feel.  For example,  when the US experiences a new war,  natural disaster, or other severe crisis, the index gauges the reaction and eventual recovery. What it doesn’t show is how this process changes people and how they process value.

Key Take-away: To early to tell if this is a meaningful trend. Stay tuned.    (click the graphic to enlarge)

 Worth Visiting: The Conference Board