Marketing Your Luxury Real Estate Practice: Social Proof or Social Spoof? Part 3

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Personal & Company Branding: Is Your Logo A Shortcut to Communicate Your Brand Message?

November 7, 2013

Thank you for the tremendous response on our previous post on logos entitled, “Which Comes First, the Logo or the Brand?” Here is a follow up: You must first know your unique value proposition, i.e., your brand message before your logo can become a communication shortcut for your brand.

Getting your logo to succinctly and swiftly communicate your brand message directly to your target market is no easy task. But, when you get it right, as a luxury real estate marketing professional, it is unmistakable.

We recently drove by a Jack in the Box and saw their logo in purple. We had to ask the question, “What were they thinking?” Upon investigation we discovered that the company created an additional logo. Their aim was to precisely communicate to a very important segment of their target market (obviously not us): Hungry night owls who get the “munchies” for fast food after 9pm. Their brand message: “We are open 24 hours a day and we have a special menu just for you called, Jack’s Munchie Meals™.

Their purple color is an exaggerated mid-night blue that signifies “late-night”. Simply by changing their logo’s color they gave the symbol new meaning that is right on the wavelength of their ideal customer. This is brilliance in brand strategy! Once the target market understands the meaning of the purple logo Jack in the Box BECOMES not just another fast food restaurant in their minds, but THEIR late-night destination when they get the munchies.

The ultimate goal in branding is to "OWN" your brand position, in this case "late-night". David Letterman is a personal brand that MEANS "late-night TV talk show host", not just "talk show host".

It turns out that Jack in the Box is the long-term, late-night market leader. Their intention is to strengthen, leverage and capitalize on their leadership position. Luxury real estate market leaders, take heed! Is your logo a communication shortcut for your unique value proposition, your brand message?

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Luxury Real Estate Personal & Company Branding: Which Comes First? The Logo or the Brand?

November 5, 2013

Which comes first, a logo or a brand? A logo is a design of arranged letters, lines, or images. A logo is not a brand. Just because you have a symbol of a key, or antique doorknocker, or an Adirondack chair on a front porch to represent your luxury real estate marketing practice does not mean you have a brand. It is just a symbol with little meaning. And, it falls short of the potential to communicate who you are in particular and how you are different from your competition.

What comes first is the brand. A brand tells a story about the company, service or an individual. Before you can even consider a logo, you must first thoroughly articulate the various components of the brand, i.e., what you want your brand to stand for in the minds of your target market, its extraordinary promise of value, and also how it is distinct from your closest competitor. This includes: your brand values, the your brand personality, the role of the brand in the lives of the consumer, and the various contexts of your brand, How else can you create a graphic symbol that summarizes all of that?

Once your target market associates your logo with all that your brand stands for, just a quick glance at the symbol should remind them of your entire brand story. Think of what the silhouette of Mickey Mouse or the Playboy Bunny communicates in an instant!

Clearly articulate your brand first. Then create your logo.

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Luxury Real Estate Brand Strategy: What You Can Learn from the World's Most Highly Valued Brands - Part 3

November 4, 2013

CONTINUOUSLY THINK STRATEGICALLY

As a luxury real estate market leader it is imperative to continuously think strategically in order to outdistance your challengers. That is why it is essential to study the strategies of the most highly valued brands in the world.

Google’s strategy of making Android available for “better than free” (because they also offer profit sharing on apps as an incentive to developers and smart phone manufacturers), represented a full frontal attack on Apple (See Part 1). Last week a consortium of companies (including Apple, Microsoft, Blackberry, Sony and others), who acquired a set of patents from Nortel Networks, waged a counter attack that goes for the jugular of Google, Samsung and other Android device manufacturers for alleged patent infringements.

This is the prelude to the “thermal nuclear” war that Jobs alluded to in his biography by Walter Isaacson. No doubt there will be counter-suits from Google and the gang, as part of the Motorola acquisition included a set of patents that may be infringed upon as well. It took two years to launch this strategy to slow down Androids advances.

STAY FOCUSED ON WHAT IS AT STAKE

We mention this epic “Battle of the Titans” to underscore the fact that at the level of market leadership, even in the realm of marketing luxury real estate, there is so much at stake. By creating a new category in the marketplace you have the tremendous advantage of being the first mover in that space. But, if you “sit on your laurels” and do not continuously think strategically, your leadership position can be short lived.

Android, which is the operating system software that runs smart phones and tablets, made it possible for Samsung (who Apple still depends on for manufacturing) to become a formidable challenger. But, Android’s biggest weakness is Apple’s greatest strength.

CAPITALIZE ON YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH

Android is extremely FRAGMENTED, given that there are so many models and companies that customize this platform. This makes it very risky for developers (and their investors) to create new apps for Android first, i.e., before Apple. As a result, there are only tens of thousands of Android apps for tablets vs. over 475,000 iPad apps.

Apple’s operating system (iOS) has an “unfair” advantage because of its UNIFORMITY AND INTEGRATION between its devices and computers. When Apple recently came out with its latest version of iOS, according to Tim Cook, Apple, CEO, "within three weeks 64% of ALL APPLE DEVICES had downloaded it!"

This will play a major role in the trajectory of market share when the tablet becomes a dominant mainstream computer used in enterprise (not just as a consumer device). Samsung and other Android device manufacturers cannot come close to this value proposition and will have a hard time convincing companies and government organizations to purchase their devices as a result. The high cost of fragmentation raises a big question about the future of Android in enterprise.

As a luxury real estate marketing professional three of the most important lessons to be learned from the world’s most highly valued brands are: 1) Continuously think strategically; 2) Stay focused on what is at stake, and; 3) Capitalize on your greatest strengths. And remember, it is more fun at the top!

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Luxury Real Estate Brand Strategy: What You Can Learn from the World's Most Highly Valued Brands - Part 2

October 29, 2013

iWORKS - Photo Courtesy of Apple

In Part 1 of this articles series we discussed the importance of thinking strategically and studying the brand strategies of the most valued brands in the world if you want to sustain your own market leadership as a luxury real estate professional. Here we continue with Microsoft’s biggest brand strategy challenge.

Microsoft, a late comer in the race to dominate the world of mobile devices, has a potentially strong competitive advantage over Apple in the tablet war: A deep corporate client database of satisfied Windows customers who use Microsoft Office, their productivity suite of software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc). Enterprises and governments, who represent a huge untapped market for tablets, are increasingly finding new ways of using tablets for light computing, rather than using PCs, on the job. Of course, Samsung and other Android-based tablet manufacturers want in on this market segment, too.

Along with Apple’s recent launch of new iPads came a bombshell that may become Microsoft’s worst nightmare. On all new iPads, Apple is giving away iWorks (Apple’s own productivity suite: Pages, Numbers and Keynote) for FREE! Plus, they have developed a version of iWorks that works in iCloud, which is accessible by Macs, all PCs, and ANY mobile devise with a browser, including all Android and Windows mobile devices. And, that is FREE, TOO! We highly recommend iWorks for luxury real estate marketing professionals.

Microsoft charges up to $15 per user per month for their cloud-based Office 365! But, iWorks is fully compatible with Word, Excel and PowerPoint. For example, you can import a Word document into Pages, collaborate on the document with colleagues from all over the world via iCloud.com, then download it in either Pages or Word or PDF format to any computer.

The one-two punch of FREE (and stunningly simple to use) iWorks creates a buffer zone for would-be tablet competitors like Microsoft, Samsung and (Google’s) Motorola. It also provides a switching barrier for customers who have all of their documents, spreadsheets and presentations stored in Apple’s locker, i.e., in iCloud.

If tablets are going to replace PCs as the primary computing device Apple has a clear shot at sustaining and expanding their dominance in the post PC era.

Amazon’s Kindle, which is primarily a consumer tablet, may still have its niche. But, it has no chance of catching the iPad. And, as we will cover in Part 3 of this article series, Android’s greatest weakness in tablets is Apple’s greatest strength. We will also discuss how you can apply the same strategic thinking of the world's most highly valued brands to your own luxury real estate marketing practice to gain or sustain market leadership.

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Luxury Real Estate Brand Strategy: What You Can Learn from the World's Most Highly Valued Brands

October 28, 2013

Photo Courtesy of Apple

As a challenger, it takes a sharply focused strategy to secure top-of-mind status in your luxury real estate marketplace, and also to seize the lion’s share of business from the incumbent market leader. Complacent leaders can often be caught off-guard by a challenger with a fine-tuned brand strategy. If you want to sustain your own market leadership THINK STRATEGICALLY! Study the brand strategies of the most highly valued brands in the world. And, that is what we begin to explore in this article series.

Lately, doubts have been cast about the ability of Apple (#1 highest valued brand in the world) to fend off the fierce competition of Google (#2), Samsung (#30), Amazon (#14) and Microsoft (#7) in the realm of smart phones and tablet computers. Sustaining their market leadership will require Apple to create an impenetrable buffer zone to protect their overall lead in these combined categories, in terms of revenue, and create switching barriers, to hold on to existing customers.

But, first let’s start with Google who wants to rule the world of online advertising. One of their key strategies is offering their Android operating system software for FREE. Better yet, they entice device makers and app developers to use Android though profit sharing on the sale of apps in their app store.

Some pundits believe that this "better than free" strategy along with Google’s Motorola acquisition will significantly drive down the prices of smart phones and tablet hardware, which could completely commissioned those devices. The cost of offering cheap hardware, free software and cash incentives constitutes their buffer zone. And, it should be offset with Google’s increased ad revenue given their potential dominance over the highest volume of devices in the world, which are Android based.

This could potentially be a huge threat to Apple But, Apple is definitely not complacent. In Part 2 of this article series we will explore what Apple’s strategy appears to be for maintaining their leadership position as the world’s most valuable brand.

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Luxury Real Estate Websites: What You Need to Know About Google’s New Algorithms - Part 2

October 23, 2013

PART 2: Gourmet Food for Thought vs.. Junk Food for Robots

In Part 1 of this article series we discussed that Google’s new algorithm, Hummingbird, will be a game changer for many luxury real estate marketing professionals who have been building their online reputation through blogging. Content is still king. But, it is not necessarily the often-searched keywords that Google is trying to match with your keyword-laden content to bring traffic to your website.

The user’s intent is now what Google is trying to decipher, which may not be expressed explicitly in keywords when they type in their search queries. Thus, QUALITY CONTENT, what we call “gourmet food for thought”, that truly satisfies the user’s query will reign supreme and dethrone content that was merely “junk food for Goggle robots”.

To give you an idea of the significance of this change, look at what happened to Demand Media’s eHow, with its “content farm” business model. At eHow.com you can type in a ‘how-to” question and find multiple articles on just about any topic. To build its content library eHow was hiring freelance authors to churn out as many as 200,000 articles per month in order to capitalize on Google’s previous keyword-dominant algorithm. Today, Demand Media, which was valued at over $2 billion when they went public in 2011, has a market capitalization of below $500 million as their stock dropped 79% from its early peak.

For luxury real estate marketing professionals the take-away lesson from eHow’ dependency on Google is this: Take the time to examine your content “recipes”.

If you want to be a market leader you must become a gourmet when it comes to content. Creating satisfying, quality editorial content, (including excellent photos and videos that help tell your story), this is what it takes to be newsworthy, buzz-worthy and follow-worthy. Original, quality content will serve you far better than producing junk food for robots. But, the key is to have a unique “P.O.V” (Point of View).

If you have ever watched The Next Food Star on HGTV, which is the contest to find talent for fresh new TV content, you have seen the mentors on the show insist that the contestants have a unique point of view, an angle, or a handle. For example, Rachel Ray’s POV is “the girl next door”. The 2013 winner, Damaris, offers Southern Style cooking lessons for men so they can attract or impress the girl of their dreams.

We understand that it can be challenging to figure out what your unique selling proposition is, or what your extraordinary promise of value is. We help each of our clients overcome this conundrum in our personal and company branding practice. Sharply articulating your POV is exactly what is required if you are going to offer unique editorial content and stand out from the crowd. You need to become a gourmet if you want to be an online thought leader and a luxury real estate market leader in your area.

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Luxury Real Estate Personal & Company Branding: What is Your Brand Worth?

October 17, 2013

BANKSY IN BRISTOL, UK Photo Courtesy © Lucavanzolini

Top-of-mind status for your personal or company brand is the ultimate goal for achieving market leadership because it can translate directly to your bottom line. More often than not there is a direct correlation between your annual commission income (vs. your closest competitors’) and the agent or company’ brand name that comes to mind first within a specific luxury real estate marketing category or niche therein.

This phenomenon is known as your brand value. Not only can the perceived added value be reflected in your revenue, it can also reflected in the value of your company itself, in the form of brand equity, should you decide to sell or do a joint venture with another firm.

The value of a personal or company brand was made explicitly clear in a Forbes article, (sent to us by Fort Collins real estate broker, Dick Greenberg), on Banksy, a British street artist who specializes in stencil graffiti. Banksy, recently conducted an experiment in New York’s Central Park, where he set up a simple, temporary stall selling original, signed canvasses of his “Spray Art” for just $60 each. Keep in mind that Banksy has sold some of his art pieces for over $1 million to the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

At the end of the day his total sales amounted to $420. (Watch the Video). One article in the New York Times announcing this one-day event would have caused mayhem in Central Park and a complete sell-out of all canvasses to the first buyer in line.

The agreed upon perceived value of a brand represents a mental shortcut when you think of a brand category or high trust factor when you need a recommendation for a product or service in that category. If you trust a brand or the person who recommended it you may be more likely to choose it or pay a premium for it.

Here is a true story of how this plays out in the realm of luxury real estate. An agent from a highly regarded major luxury brand brokerage firm was selected to list a multi-million dollar equestrian estate over an agent from another major company, but lesser known for selling expensive properties. The other agent was far more knowledgeable and more experienced in all things equestrian in this case, than the agent that was chosen because of the perceived added value of her company brand.

At the level of market leadership, when the lion’s share of business is at stake, getting your personal or company branding right is an imperative. It is not essential if you are willing to settle for less.

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Luxury Real Estate Brand Strategy: The 2013 Emerging Luxury Brand of the Year - Part 3

October 14, 2013

Tesla Model X

PART 3: Innovative Design & Dazzling Presentation

To achieve market leadership fast, as a luxury real estate marketing professional, you must identify an uncontested or under served market niche that you can service better than anyone else in your marketplace, with passion. But, the quality of communication of your extraordinary promise of value in your listing presentations must be concise and compelling in order to spark instant demand and trigger buzz.

In our opinion, the unveiling of Tesla’s Model X was equally as exciting for the automotive industry as Steve Job’s introduction of the iPad was to the digital world. That presentation was what prompted us to name Tesla as the 2013 Emerging Luxury Brand of the Year. These polished, dazzling presentations can serve as models for your own listing presentations.

Each company identified an under served market niche that they could dominate by offering an extraordinary value proposition. Both companies are extremely passionate about their mission; they THINK BIG (see Part 2) and are driven by the desire to innovate, i.e., to “change the game”.

Tesla understood that to create a truly successful all-electric crossover urban vehicle (CUV) it would have to be far superior to SUVs and Mini vans at some key things. For example, Tesla included the 17” digital display that was also a standard feature in their Model S (see Part 2). They tapped the Mac Book Pro supply chain and actually achieved higher contrast and a higher lumen level because they did not have the same design constraints that a laptop has. Tesla also understood that consumers want at least the same digital experience that they have with their other devices.

Tesla reasoned, “Mini Vans have lots of room but not much style. SUVs are big on the outside but tend to be small on the inside. What if you could have a seven-passenger car that has more FUNCTIONALITY than a Mini Van and more STYLE than an SUV?” One key answer was the creation the best car door in the world. Another answer was offering tons of storage, both in the back, behind the third row of seats, and under the hood where gasoline-engine cars have no storage room at all.

The Falcon Door is not only a sensational design it also allows easy access to the second and third rows of seats. Adults can actually stand up under the raised door and place a child in a car seat without straining their backs or getting wet from rain. WATCH THE VIDEO.

But, the primary missing element in Mini Vans and SUVs is PERFORMANCE. The Model X is the size of an SUV, but it has a better turning radius. It has dual motor all-wheel drive and is actually faster than a Porsche 911. It accelerates from 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds vs. 4.6 for the Porsche.

In your luxury real estate listing presentations you must be able to precisely articulate your extraordinary promise of value with passion. When you can state in just three words how you are better than your competition, like Tesla can do (Functionality, Style & Performance), and clearly demonstrate this with your distinct features and benefits, then you may become the emerging luxury brand of the year in your own marketplace, and get there fast!

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Luxury Real Estate Brand Strategy: The 2013 Emerging Luxury Brand of the Year

October 11, 2013

Tesla Model S

PART 2: Tesla’s Innovative, Visionary Brand Strategy:

If you are thinking of creating a new luxury real estate brand for yourself or your company, or if you are thinking of re-branding keep this in mind if market leadership is your quest: THINK BIG! That is exactly what the founders and top executives did when they imagined Tesla Motors into existence.

Since his college days, Tesla’s Chairman, Elon Musk, had the dream to commercialize electric vehicles. But, according to Musk, his BIG goal is “to help expedite the move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy, which I believe to be the primary, but not exclusive, sustainable solution.”

His visionary leadership is evidenced in the Tesla brand strategy: Start with a premium sports car aimed at early adopters, those who could afford the premium due to higher initial production costs, and then move as fast as possible into more mainstream vehicles, including sedans and affordable compacts. This strategy has worked in Silicon Valley, but has not been attempted in the automotive industry.

Mission critical to executing this strategy was creating an exclusive luxury electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster (depicted in Part 1) that was “designed to beat a gasoline sports car like a Porsche or Ferrari in a head to head showdown… and have twice the energy efficiency as the Prius. When someone buys the Tesla Roadster sports car, they are actually helping pay for development of the low cost family car”, said Musk.

The next step was the creation of the fully electric Model S (see photo above), which won The Motor Trend Car of the Year awardin 2013 and competes price-wise with similar gasoline luxury sedans such as Mercedes, BMW, Lexus and Audi. To market this magnificent sedan Tesla hired former Apple and Gap Executive George Blankenship as Vice President of Design and Store Development to build Tesla's retail strategy and network of retail locations worldwide. Show-rooms in Los Angeles are in upscale shopping centers, where you can find Apple stores.

Then, they launched a network of Tesla Charging Stations in highly trafficked corridors. It takes only 30 minutes to recharge the battery at these stations. But, if you are in a hurry, you can swap the entire battery in less than 2 minutes. They call it "'The Fastest Charging station on the Planet".The cost of electricity is a fraction of gasoline. And, the range per full charge is as much as 300 miles.

Launching a new luxury brand with the aim to achieve market leadership requires visionary thinking and strategizing; it requires that you THINK BIG! How can you think big in your own community?

In Part 3 of this article series we will cover the launch of Tesla’s Model X. For us, this was the most exciting consumer product launch since Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad. By studying Tesla’s presentation of the Model X you can learn extremely important lessons when it comes to your own luxury real estate listing presentations. (All photos, courtesy of Tesla)

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Luxury Real Estate Brand Strategy: The 2013 Emerging Luxury Brand of the Year

October 10, 2013

PART 1

Many luxury real estate professionals set out to make a name for themselves or to establish a new independent firm and emerge as the standout luxury brand in their marketplace. Few have the vision to start something truly unique with the idea of “making a dent in the universe” as Steve Jobs referred to his personal mission in life. For those of you, who are genuine visionary leaders, let the exciting brand story of Tesla Motors become a vital source of inspiration. We believe that California based Tesla Motors is the 2013 Emerging Luxury Brand of the Year in America, perhaps in the world.

Stay tuned to this article series as the Tesla Motors brand story unfolds. We are about to demonstrate how the same principles that have made this breakaway brand so successful can apply to your own luxury real estate personal or company brand. From the Tesla Roadster (pictured above), the first fully electric sports car, to their fully electric luxury sedan, the S Model, to their fully electric crossover utility vehicle (CUV), the Model X, you will see for yourself how visionary leadership is the secret ingredient in market-leading luxury brand strategy. (Photo courtesy of Tesla)

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Luxury Real Estate Personal & Company Branding: Benefit by Studying Up-and-Coming Luxury Brands

October 7, 2013

Luxury real estate personal and company branding is an art. But, it is also a science, as it requires a considerable amount of research and objective analysis to get it right. What is at stake when you nail a luxury brand? A healthy share, if not the lion’s share of the business as you achieve top-of-mind status in your marketplace or a niche therein. That is the benefit of studying up-and-coming luxury brands.

On a recent trip to Rome, Italy we studied many of the Italian up-and-coming brands as well as some of the global brands that also have store fronts on the same famous shopping streets. Some of these brands are well known, but not as famous as the majors like Ferragamo, Gucci, Pucci and Valentino.

So much creative energy goes into creating a great brand identity, the logo, the packaging and the store design, etc. But, does that symbol summarize the essence of how the brand stands apart from its competition that is right next door? Does it tell the entire brand story that engages you as a luxury consumer to want to “join” the brand and become its brand ambassador? Does it tell you what the brand stands for so you can readily identify with it? Does it quickly communicate its brand values so you know if you are a match to them or not?

These are some of the questions that you need to ask yourself about your own brand as a luxury real estate marketing professional or company. That is, if you are truly interested in gaining or sustaining market leadership.

Join us for a quick trip along two of Rome’s famous shopping streets, Via dei Condotti and Via del Babuino. See if you recognize some of the up-and-coming luxury brands. [Click Here to Watch the Video If it Does Not Appear Below]

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Marketing Luxury Real Estate: Telling the Brand Story in Beverly Hills

October 2, 2013

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, it is important to pay attention to details. Attention to details is what give an item or a marketing piece that luxurious feel... Whenever a store is remodeled in Beverly Hills, the business creates a beautiful structure to camouflage the construction.

The one we saw today pictured above on our monthly trip to Beverly Hills is of Nespresso coffee makers. We thought that the little capsules that contain coffee (actual capsules sized for the barricade) for use in the Nespresso machine really told the brand story and emphasized the details beautifully. What a way for this Swiss brand to make an entrance on a street with several coffee places!

We are looking forward to the big reveal for this store on Beverly Drive.

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Luxury Real Estate Personal & Company Branding: The Complete Brand Package

September 30, 2013

Luxury real estate personal and company branding is truly an art. At its finest, the result is something exceptional: a complete brand package that just stands out and stays in your mind long after your first impression of the brand.

To get inspired about creating a brand package for yourself or your company Look for evidence of innovation, creativity and brand packaging IQ when new companies in other arenas first launch in your area. Here is an example of a new local brand in the Santa Barbara area that has its branding act together.

BRAND NAME:

Crazy Good Bread Company has selected a catchy brand name that is hard to forget. That is very important first step. But, if you are going to go out on a limb and describe the quality of your services within your brand name you had better live up to your claim. This company’s breads are indeed, amazingly good!

SLOGANS:

Catchy slogans reinforce the catchy name:

“Share the Love. Then Spread It with Butter”

“Bliss Disguised as Bread”

DISTINCT PRODUCT LINE

Like wines, they refer to their “bread varietals”, here are some:

Lavender, Lemon or Walnut Country Loafs

Chocolate Black Pepper, Orange Chocolate

Fig Masala

Rosemary Olive

PHYSICAL PACKAGING

The company’s packages are consistent with the theme of fun and adventure with bread. See the image above.

MAKE GOOD ON YOUR UNIQUE PROMISE OF VALUE:

Crazy Good Bread Company also has the best French Baguette and croissant in all of Santa Barbara County. As frequent European travelers, we are very tough customers to please when it comes to these particular items. They truly are crazy good! A very clever feature is offering a sampler, which is three smaller loaves of different varietals baked together.

Taken all together, the brand name, the slogans, the distinct product line, the physical packaging, and also making good on their promise of value, Crazy Good Bread Company has the complete brand package. Best of all the fun experience of shopping at the store and the excellent service provided by store manager, Lisa, demonstrates the overall integrity and the passion that the owners obviously have in their new company. It makes you want to spread the love, so you, too, can spread the butter!

Do you have the complete brand package in your luxury real estate personal or company branding?

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tip: Follow Your Passion for Architecture!

September 26, 2013

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, the more you understand about great architecture the more you will be able to relate to buyers and sellers of architecturally significant homes. If you have a passion for architecture specializing in selling these types of luxury homes could be the perfect niche for you. Follow your passion for architecture!

On our recent trip to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece we had the privilege of visiting one the most spectacular museums in the world: The Acropolis Museum. It is an architectural masterpiece!

The unique constraints  and circumstances of the site provide an extraordinary architectural opportunity, “offering a simple and precise museum with the mathematical and conceptual clarity of ancient Greece”, according to Bernard Tschumi, Architect.

An abundance of natural light is a major factor that contributes to the enjoyment of the exhibits, as a visitor. This is possible due to the fact that the majority of the objects displayed in the museum are sculptures (vs. paintings, photographs or drawings). Through large high-tech glass windows that protect the structure from over-heating, you also have a magnificent, direct view of the Acropolis itself.

The visitors’ route through the museum forms a clear three-dimensional loop. The base (ground floor) of the museum floats over the existing archaeological excavations on columns that protect and sanctify the site. The ground floor is primarily made of clear glass allowing over 10,000 visitors per day to view and literally walk over the ruins. From the very top of the museum, through an open atrium, you can actually see all the way down to the excavations.

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the architectural design is the exterior of the building. Viewing the museum from one angle it appears that there are metal columns that mirror the ancient columns of the Parthenon. But, as you continue to walk around the structure it becomes clear that these are just the rounded edges of massive striated overlapping steel walls. Absolutely brilliant design!

Study great architecture at every opportunity. It will pay off for you in your luxury real estate marketing career. Follow your passion for architecture!

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Luxury Real Estate Personal & Company Branding: If the Shoe Fits

September 12, 2013

Luxury goods and services companies who tie their brand to popularity of celebrities as ambassadors of their brand as a luxury brand strategy, run the risk of the celebrity falling out of good graces with their target market, But some iconic personal celebrity brands endure over time and sometimes outlive the person who is actually branded. Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe are two cases in point.

Salvatore Ferragamo became a famous name in fine footwear and other leather goods such as handbags as a result of courting internationally known celebrities. One-of-a-kind shoe styles designed expressly for certain celebrities and royals can be viewed in the museum of their flagship store in Florence, Italy on Via Turnabone.

But, great global luxury brands like Ferragamo understands the importance of staying current, reinventing themselves and not resting on their laurels. This is evidenced by their exclusive line of Ferragamo Creations, which are reproductions of shoes and handbags from their museum, sold in limited editions.

The first image is the famous “Rainbow” shoe designed for Judy Garland and the next is the shoe designed exclusively for Marilyn Monroe. To make this offering “au current” Ferragamo also created a miniature of the shoe as a “charm” that can be worn around the neck. When you pull apart the charm you discover that it is actually a computer flash drive. Brilliant idea—a conversation piece that is truly buzz worthy!

It is not for everyone and Ferragamo (and certain customers) want it that way. Si, if these shoes fits, wear them!

Staying current and reinventing yourself is an intricate component to personal and company branding if you want to sustain market leadership over time. What are you or your company doing to stay relevant, to re-invent yourself?

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Make A Scene/Luxury Brand Personalitty

September 6, 2013

To distinguish yourself or your luxury real estate marketing company from your competitors, you can always use the concept of "fun" personality in your branding and marketing materials. This will work well if your market is in the same frame of mind and represents your personality and the way you do business. There has to be a harmony between you and your marketplace, otherwise this will come off as a sour note.

The above slogan, "Make A Scene", belongs to Puma a sportswear company, that produces, produces athletic footwear, clothing, and racing drivers suits. It is part of the Kering group of luxury brands with headquarters in Germany. Everywhere we looked in their store in Rome, there was a fun atmosphere. This next photo shows their dressing rooms. The customer can try the clothes in the company of the Puma. The rug on the floor says "Ciao", which in Italian can be used for "hello and goodbye".

As we were exiting the store, we noticed this fun representation of their Puma on a T-shirt. This is reminiscent of the Pink Panther movies logo, which were very funny.

In your luxury real estate marketing, the concept of "fun" does not have to be your dominant personality statement. You can always incorporate a bit of "fun" in the look. For instance, if you look at the Language of Luxury logo, you many notice on the orange (a fun color) "L", a tiny "LOL". This also means: "Laughing Out Loud" in Internet speak, as well as the initials for Language of Luxury.

Ciao for now from Rome, Ron & Alexandra Seigel

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Do You Have a Local Brand Strategy?

August 26, 2013

In presenting your luxury real estate marketing plan to your sellers, you should emphasize your strategy for marketing locally as well as globally. Do you have a local brand strategy?

We have found, in working with luxury real estate marketing professionals, that even in the most desirable luxury real estate markets, the global buyers represent a miniscule percentage when compared to local buyers. There is no question that there is an increase in global buyers especially in Hawaii, Florida and some major US cities. But, the global buyer statistics are not commensurate with the emphasis that much of the luxury real estate media is touting.

To win big in luxury real estate marketing, concentrate on building your local brand! Aim for achieving top-of-mind status.

You may have heard of the Central California wine brand, Firestone. It was made famous when the son of the winery owner was on the TV show, The Bachelor. Firestone originally produced only beer, and then branched out into wine. Recently, they sold the winery, but created a new local beer brand, “805” which is the telephone area code for the three adjacent counties that include Santa Barbara.

Focusing, with laser sharp precision on the local market, 805 signs are starting to be proudly displayed in local restaurants, in the local Trader Joes markets and on local billboards. Achieving brand recognition at an accelerated pace is what great brand strategy is all about. The entire exercise is geared to catapult a brand with zero brand recognition to top-of-mind status, fast!

How can you accelerate the pace at which your local brand achieves top-of-mind status?

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: The Power of Top of Mind Status

August 19, 2013

As a luxury real estate marketing professional bent on gaining or sustaining market leadership, achieving top-of-mind status is the ultimate goal. The first brand name that comes to mind commands the lion’s share of the business in a brand category within a given marketplace or niche therein. But, dominating a brand category requires the consistent execution of brand strategy.

In the California Central Coast wine country (Santa Barbara to Monterey) one winery, Palmina, stands out as a category leader. The category is Italian varietals. Palmina applied the winning branding formula to achieve market leadership: They selected an undeserved, potentially lucrative market niche about which that they are very passionate and knew that they could serve their target market better than anyone else.

Recently, we took off for an adventure to the Central Coast wine country to visit a town called Lompoc (45 minutes up the coast, north of Santa Barbara). You may know Lompoc as the home of Vanderberg Air Force Base where a space shuttle landed a few years back.

In search of the best restaurant in town for lunch, we decided to stop by one of the local wineries, thinking that they would likely be “foodies” too and have a suggestion for us. Driving along the “Wine Trail” we spotted Palmina, a brand we know and trust. The choice was clear. We did not need to look further. And, we were right; they recommended Floriano’s, which had absolutely fabulous fresh Mexican food.

Delighted with our meal we returned to Palmina for their wine tasting which was excellent. The man who poured our wine was very passionate and knowledgeable about his wines and Italian varietals in general. He told us the entire Palmina brand story, which is rich with local lore.

We left with three bottles of outstanding wines that we look forward to paring with the types of meals he recommended. Now, we are “brand ambassadors” who are eager to share our experience of this fine winery.

In a sea of wine brands, one name stands for the category of Central Coast Italian varietals, in our minds. Now that we have visited the winery, Palmina also stands for remarkable hospitality simply based on our personal experience at the winery itself. And, that is the power of achieving top-of-mind status.

Who are Your Brand Ambassadors?

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Do You Know Your Core Value Proposition?

August 12, 2013

If you are a luxury real estate marketing professional who is intent on gaining or sustaining market leadership ask yourself this important question: “What can I do better than anyone else in my marketplace?” Tap into your core value proposition and you will discover how to out-smart your competition.

Facebook’s stock recently jumped 30% because they are getting their mobile advertising act together. Ad revenue jumped 75% over the previous quarter. Google has seized market dominance with their Android operating system with over 70% market share. This enables the company to put more ads on more screens, which is their core value proposition.

Smart phones enable advertisers to find you based on your present location. Geo-positioning makes smart phones the perfect vehicle to deliver local ads (and special offers for goods and services available locally). We think Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, is concerned about that! And, that is why he is willing to personally spend $250 million on the Washington Post.

Mr. Bezos must have asked himself the key question about the strengths of Amazon in relationship to Facebook and Google when it comes to local commerce via mobile devices because both of those companies have the potential to siphon off Amazon’s core business—ecommerce. Billions of dollars are at stake here!

Traditionally, the bread-and-butter revenue of newspapers has been classified ads. Intermediaries, like Craig’s List, demonstrated that they could get consumers to go directly to their brand of classified ads FIRST. With a singular focus, Craig’s List became synonymous with classified ads and was catapulted to top-of-mind status in that advertising category.

NAR conducted a study years ago that demonstrated that homebuyers are more likely to work the first agent they contact when they were ready to buy a home. That is why Trulia and Zillow want to be the FIRST place home buyers go to search properties rather than on YOUR website. Agents pay these companies to get these leads before you do.

What if Mr. Bezos could convince local merchants to set up stores on Amazon’s affordable Webstore platform (Amazon’s no long-term obligation, robust, eCommerce technology and fulfillment services) and monetize the journalistic content of the Washington Post with transaction-based advertising? A profit sharing model between Amazon and the Post would drive revenues for the newspaper.

Already built into Webstore’s platform are available features for consumers to opt-in to special offer alerts, coupons, etc. Amazon’s peer rating system allows consumers to know which local merchants to trust and ranks merchants based on best current prices on a particular item. Consumers who already have Amazon accounts could go shopping locally with one click or create a new Amazon account.

What if the newspaper's act of championing the "Shop Local" cause attracted all of the top local merchants? What if the Washington Post e-commerce/mobile commerce/local commerce model proved to be a fiscal winner in the long run? Wouldn’t other local newspapers around the world beat a path to Amazon’s door?

Contemplating your core value proposition and focusing on what you do best as a luxury real estate marketing professional can give you the competitive advantage. Your market leadership is at stake, here!

Do you know your core value proposition?

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