Luxury Real Estate Branding Tip: Market Leaders--Refresh Your Brand!

Photo by Sbuckley

In marketing luxury real estate, as with all professions and businesses, market leaders who face stiff competition from challengers need to continuously refresh their brand to stay current and relevant. With fierce competition from the X-Factor and The Voice for top-of-mind status, American Idol has set a great example of this vital principle of market leadership.

If you are a fan of American Idol you may have noticed that there was something conspicuously absent from their tried and true formula of the past twelve years.  This year you saw very few (rarely) funny auditions of contestants that have no voice whatsoever let alone the rest of the package. 

Instead, as a viewer, you became privy to more of the behind the scenes decision-making stories from the judges and many more auditions of the promising artists. Bringing in Harry Connick, Jr. as a judge and moving Randy Jackson to mentor were two other adjustments to the formula.

As a result, the TV audience is much more engaged as silent participators in the process of culling the list for the best talent.  This manifested in a record number of votes for the artists.  Not bad for a show that is thirteen years old!

Market leaders in luxury real estate, take heed! To stay on top you must continuously refresh your brand. Because, if you snooze, you lose!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Branding Tip: Dusty Marketing or Gimmick?

Given the competitiveness in the wine industry, not unlike the real estate industry, we have often cited wine branding examples because every winery wants to stand out and sell out in order to continue its existence.  Capturing attention is one thing, holding it is another.

The wine pictured above drew our attention for two reasons: the bottle had a heavy dust layer, and an unusual irregular shape.   Was this a treasure trove from some dark, dusty and forgotten cellar?  Would the content live up to its look? Or is it just a $35 gimmick that leaves dirt on your hands when you pick it up?

Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Pope’s new castle) is considered one of France’s finest wine regions in the Southern part of the Rhone region.  Like any venerated region it has strict rules and regulations at to the contents of the bottle, and it usually has a designated vintage year. 

We spoke to a wine expert, and learned this wine consists of several vintages blended to create the taste of a well-aged Chateauneuf-du-Pape, which is between 8 and 12 years. Did they get the result?  No, it did not according to all the reviews we found on line. On further research, we found that a 2008 Chateauneuf-du-Pape deemed drinkable and with good reviews, retails for $39.00.  The price difference is negligible if your intent is to enjoy a fine Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

This wine has an appeal to those who want that instant wow and are enchanted by the bottle's shape and presentation.  When all the dust settles, was this is a gimmick or is their true substance? 

What do you think?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Branding Tips: Define What You Stand For!

In branding and marketing yourself as a luxury real estate marketing professional it is important to declare what you stand for.  The optimal way to do that is to state it in a clear straightforward manner. People like doing business with people who are like themselves. Your statement of what you stand for can often be the deciding factor when it comes to choosing one agent/company over another.

Last week, on a recommendation from our local wine guru, we purchased the above-pictured bottle of wine.  Had our friend not recommended it, we would not have necessarily purchased it based on the label.  The word “effort” for us evokes the connotation of spinning one’s wheels and going nowhere.  Perhaps, the arrow in the brand meant that they actually had a direction.

In looking at their website, we understood the brand and the thought that went into producing this wine.  The first two sentences told the story: “There is nothing expedient in our winemaking approach.  We embrace the detailed labor-intensive methods that are required to produce the finest wines.”

Imagine if that concept could have been stated in just a few words on the label, we would have reached for that bottle without a recommendation. 

What do you stand for and how can you state it in just a few words?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Branding Tips: Why and How StandOuts Thrive #3

In our first post, we identified that the first course of action was to find the under-served market niche.In our second post we emphasized studying the under served market niche.

The third course of action is to develop your primary strategic differentiator.You must differentiate oneself from the competitive landscape by being uniquely different, both in presentation and service.  Many of our restaurants here in Santa Barbara, are proponents of farm to table, great service, and good food. 

Although, The Lark offers a distinctly different menu from any other restaurant in Santa Barbara, they have an extraordinary strategic differentiator.  Every appetizer, starter, and main course can be shared and is priced the same as one entrée in any restaurant of this caliber.  They encourage family style dining, and do not charge “extra” for share plates.   

Pictured above is our 3 course meal: Our starter snack, Fried Castevetrano olives stuffed with goat cheese & rosemary chorizo aioli, (we had already eaten a few when I realized I had to take a picture). Next was a chicken confit stuffed in homemade phyllo dough on top of an arugula salad, again we , already eaten two of them.)

Our main course was whole grilled Branzino, Italian sea bass deboned, with a barley & caper risotto, kale & fennel slaw, grapefruit and salsa verde.  This was our first experience with barley risotto and it was great.   

Do you know your extraordinary strategic primary differentiator?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Branding Tips: Why and How StandOuts Thrive #2

In Part 1, of this series we identified that the first course of action to be a standout as a luxury real estate marketing professional is to identify an under-served market niche.  The Lark Restaurant identified a huge underserved market of Santa Barbara Foodies.

The second course of action is to study and understand the mindset of your niche.  Understanding Foodies helped Lark create their brand strategy. It influenced the look and feel of the brand, the restaurant’s ambiance, as well as the appropriate location in the city of Santa Barbara.

The Foodies mindset (their psycho-graphics and lifestyle) has at least two subsets.  For instance, there are those who frequent Certified Organic Farmers markets when they cook at home. This subset may differ from those who simply enjoy fine dining and dine out frequently. Both, however, may promote “farm-to-table” dining at local restaurants.

Studying the psycho-graphics of your target market enables you to connect on a deep emotional level with your ideal customers. Another psycho-graphic subset of The Lark’s customers could be classified as innovators, open-minded, adventurers who enjoy the latest and great, the hip and modern.

For that reason, The Lark chose the Funk Zone, for their location.  The Funk Zone is an industrial area of Santa Barbara.  It has a sophisticated urban feel mixed with the slow lifestyle of a beach city resulting in an enticing experience that represents the new and innovative spirit of Santa Barbara.

The industrial building that they occupy is warm and inviting. Some of the outstanding features that we love are the exposed ceilings, the sandblasted brick walls, the oriental rugs on the concrete floor and the copper chandeliers that were specifically made for them.

 Are you studying the psycho-graphics of your ideal clients so you can make a strong emotional connection with them?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Branding: Why and How Stand Outs Thrive! # 1

If you are bound and determined to be the go to luxury real estate agent or company, you must find a way to stand out or suffer the consequence of blending into the great bland of business. 

We have a new restaurant, The Lark, in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone. From the moment they opened 6 months ago, they were busy, and the buzz and raves continue.  What made them successful from the get go?

They identified an underserved market niche: the sophisticated Foodie set of the Central Coast who want a healthy, enjoyable meal with a creative twist, sourced by local artisans and purveyors of organic produce.  This market’s psychographics (lifestyle and mindset) has access to 6 Farmers Markets each week, are frequent travelers and have dined in big city restaurants nationally and internationally.

Stay tuned as we dissect step by step in this series why the newly opened The Lark Restaurant in Santa Barbara is an overnight success.

Can you identify your underserved market niche?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Branding: Why spend $4million to Market Your Brand?

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, maintaining visibility for what you stand for (in terms of brand values) in a crowded, competitive market is important. It tells a story loud and clear that you are here to stay, and not here to brag about yourself or your product. 

Furthermore, if your competitors are nipping at your heels, it is a good way to gain distance.  It engages your target market emotionally and differentiates you from the crowd.

Some of the comments that were made on our previous post regarding the Super Bowl Cheerios commercial brought up an important issue.  "Why did some brands spend $4 million for a 30 second spot on Super Sunday, and not focus on selling their product?

Both Cheerios and Budweiser made no direct reference to their products (verbally), and both of these ads were in the top ten as rated by the public and the media.  Therefore, these brands have renewed their place and status as top of mind.

If you are an established brand, how can you incorporate these brand principles in your own marketing?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Branding Tips: Cheers to Cheerios Superbowl Spot!

Consistency is the hallmark of building a strong brand. Staying true to your brand values is essential in building a luxury real estate brand. For this reason, we applaud the Cheerio commercial for staying true to its message despite the controversy they generated last year for their depiction of an interracial family.  This year, they continued the story as aired today, in the video, above.  Love is love regardless what form it takes, it does not conform to artificially dictated standards.

Further Kudos to General Mills, maker of Cheerios announced on January 3, 2014, that is is switching to non GMO oats and sugar(genetically modified organism: an organism or microorganism whose genetic material has been altered by means of genetic engineering.) in its production of plain Cheerio cereal.

In these two instances, General Mills', Cheerio brand has demonstrated its understanding of the Modern Family and has responded to the growing concern of those who want foods to remain whole as nature intended them to be.  Cheers to Cheerios for staying true to their brand values!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Branding Tips: Does Your Brand Work? #3

In luxury real estate branding or any other branch of real estate, when the right brand is found everyone knows it.  It is and AHA moment!  In order to achieve that,  a brand identity and strategy is developed based on knowing the client or company's core values, personality and preferences. 

The brand identity is further amplified by a keen understanding of the marketplace, the demographics and psychographics of the target market.  We also analyze and study the competition to sharply differentiate our clients from anyone else. When everyone agrees on the brand  identity and strategy, the translation into graphic design can begin.  

Our style of branding involves visiting every client in their marketplace.  For a day, we share their work lives by traveling to their target market.  We put everyone through a barrage of questions, to accurately pinpoint their identity, goals and their target market psychographics.  

We work closely with the graphic designer to ensure that the brand identity is perfectly duplicated, right down to the perfect color hue, font choices and photos and graphics.  (As I am writing this post, Ron is looking at a brand we are working on  and just noticed that the shadow is 2 pixels off in height, the details tell all!)

This morning we noticed a change on downtown State Street in Santa Barbara (see yesterday's post).  The incomprehensible banners from yesterday are gone.  This time, I did not need to call the Chamber of Commerce, nor the Santa Barbara Downtown Association.  I knew exactly what they were for.  The Santa Barbara Film Festival begins this evening, and the banners represent that beautifully, mimicking a film strip countdown to the opening scene.

Anyone who strolls on State Street will know what these banners mean.  They are perfectly placed for the most views by people who may decide to pop into one of the theaters, where new films will be previewed.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Branding Tips: Does Your Brand Work? #2

In yesterday's post,we emphasized that a brand is not just design, or a logo. A brand is developed based on a fundamental strategy that if consistently applied, will bring top of mind status.

We wanted to illustrate this with an example that would clarify it even further.  The photo above was taken today on State Street (the main downtown street) in Santa Barbara.  Both sides of State Street have these banner flags.

What is this logo? It is an interesting design, and someone went through the trouble and expense of registering the trademark.  We tried to figure out by wondering if this was a sign for the upcoming Santa Barbara Film Festival.  No, it was not.

Can you guess what it is?  We put on our investigative reporter's hat and called the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce.  They did not have the answer, and suggested that I call the Santa Barbara Downtown Association.  They had the answer: it is the Planned Parenthood logo!  Why is it there, and what is the strategy?  How many people would even go as far as we did to find out what the sign meant? Does this Brand work to reach their target market?

Contrast this with the FedEx Express logo.  It is straightforward, and if you look closer at the Ex part of the logo, you can see the arrow formed in the white space between the x and the lower part of the capital E.  The arrow communicates movement from one point to the other.

FedEx has top of mind status with major shippers all over the United States.  Some people have never used FedEx, but they still know the brand.  We certainly have known about the Planned Parenthood organization, and the fine work they do.  Their brand in this context does not communicate who they are and what they do.

Make sure your brand works: what should be your primary goal is top of mind status.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Luxury Real Estate Branding Tips: Does Your Brand Work ?

We are always amused when an individual or company peruses our portfolio of luxury real estate branding and website design asks us: "Which one of these designs are your favorites?"  Invariably our answer is all of them, because our goal is to represent the individual or company, as well as their marketplace.   

What is design?  We like Steve Jobs' words on the subject: "Design is a funny word.  Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works." 

So how does a brand work?  A brand has to resonate with the target market by standing out in the sea of sameness, and fit like a glove based on one's personal preferences.  A brand is developed based on a fundamental strategy that, if consistently applied will bring top of mind status.  So, the criteria is: Does the brand work to accelerate the pace at which you achieve this result?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace. 

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Marketing Luxury Real Estate: Three Tips for Success in 2014 - Part 3

Your Brand Has to Have Soul & Be Inspirational

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, it is essential to discover the SOUL of your personal or company brand and create an INSPIRATIONAL BRAND STORY. Doing so is a surefire path to market leadership. 

Think of a company that has inspired you. Have you ever flown Southwest Airlines?  This is one of the brands we love, mainly because of the ease and simplicity of making or changing reservations, their on-time record and also the remarkable friendliness of their employees.  Here is a company with SOUL! 

If Southwest Airlines has soul, Zappos, the online shoe store that put 2-way no-cost shipping on the map and sold to Amazon for over $1Billion, has both SOUL and an INSPIRATIONAL BRAND STORY. The title of the best seller, Delivering Happiness, written by Zappos’ CEO Tony Hsieh, says everything about his management style and the company purpose.  

Like Trader Joe’s (covered in Part 2 of this series), the high employee morale in Southwest Airlines and Zappos is palpable. Employee morale contributes mightily to customer engagement via word-of-mouth marketing and also customer loyalty. 

But, why should you strive to uncover and mine your own personal or company brand’s “inspirational DNA”? A survey conducted by Performance Inspiration shows what consumers do when a company inspires them:

• 86% of respondents say they would recommend the company to friends and family
• 82% percent would be loyal to that company
• 92% would share their experience with others
• 71% reported they would spend more on a company that inspires them

Old Spice came out with a commercial that embodies all three essential elements that we cover in this article series, LOVE, SOUL & INSPIRATION (inspirational because it went "viral" with over 3 million views when we saw it).  The theme, "Smellcome to Manhood", brilliantly targets and communicates to boys who are coming of age, and also moms who might buy it for their sons (if they let their sons grow up). It is a must see and is far better than most Superbowl commercials. What a coup for a heritage brand looking to reach its next generation of consumers. Enjoy...

Spend some time uncovering and mining your own inspirational DNA.  It needs to be demonstrated not just superficially, but through every interaction you have your associates, your current clients and also your entire sphere of influence.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

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Marketing Luxury Real Estate: Three Tips for Success in 2014 - Part 2

What’s Love Got to Do with It?

As a seasoned luxury real estate marketing professional, you have certainly had the experience of a buyer who falls in love with a home at first sight. We personally had that experience with our own home.  We knew within 5 minutes that we found the perfect home, wrote an offer and were in escrow within 48 hours.  But, this is not typical, especially for buyers who are not all that familiar with your marketplace. 

Most of the time you need to set the stage for the buyers by first romanticizing your marketplace, then pointing out how the homes you show them could be an ideal match to their needs or their dreams.  With sellers, you need to romance them with your personal or company brand before they give you their listing. Then you need to present their listings in the best possible light with stunning photography and verbal descriptions that promise a lifestyle devoid of mediocrity. 

Think about a brand you love!  We love Trader Joes.  We cannot say enough about the esprit-de-corps that their very knowledgeable Santa Barbara “Crew” consistently demonstrates, the product selection, their return policy, the food sampling station that always has excellent coffee and friendly conversation, the human scale of the store itself, on and on.  The crew here wears shorts and “island-themed” shirts that set the tone for a casual relaxed buying experience. 

How do you get clients to fall in love with YOU, with your brand?  You need to prove that you truly care about people, according to Wolfgang Shaefer, Global Chief Strategy Officer of SelectNY, a speaker at Luxury Daily’s Luxury Outlook 2014. And, that is what is at the heart of the Trader Joes brand.  The operation is so well run that you get the sense that they really take the time to care about you. 

What can you do, as a luxury real estate marketing professional to further convince your past, current and potential clients that you truly do care? Spread the love in 2014!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

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Marketing Luxury Real Estate: Three Tips for Success in 2014

At year-end we attended Luxury Outlook 2014, produced by Luxury Daily. Although, the presentation was geared primary to the luxury goods industry we gleaned some exciting insights for luxury real estate marketing professionals that we will share with you in this article series.

We were particularly moved by Wolfgang Shaefer, Global Chief Strategy Officer at SelectNY, who emphasized the importance of telling the story of your brand from three perspectives: Stories of SOUL, stories to INSPIRE and stories of LOVE.  So, stay tuned as we apply these principles to the art of marketing YOU in the luxury real estate realm and leveraging your brand to create an outrageously successful 2014. 

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Marketing Luxury Real Estate: How to Get Invited to the High-End Listing Presentation? - Part 2

Audrey Hepburn, courtesy of Wikipedia

In Part 1 of this series we stated that to in order to get invited to high-end listing presentations “YOU GOTTA HAVE GLAM!” Glamour is the attractive or exciting quality that makes certain people or things seem appealing or special.  It is the allure, the fascination the charm the magic, the romance, and the mystique that captures attention and sparks word-of-mouth advertising.  

You would think that having Competence, Communication and Care alone would be enough to build a very strong luxury real estate marketing practice. Well, it is possible if you have the patience to build your reputation one client at a time. But, to get there faster and with much less effort you need to rapidly broaden your referral base. And, that takes GLAM. 

On a professional level glamour is a combination of two essential elements: 

1. Extraordinary Packaging that AMPLIFIES your unique promise of value to your target market.

2. Charisma: The compelling PROJECTION of your inner certainty. 

The combination of extraordinary packaging and charisma creates a MAGNETISM that can ACCELERATE the pace at which you achieve top-of-mind status and can also CATAPULT you to the top of the “A List” for listing presentations.

In Part 3 we will discuss how having extraordinary packaging and charisma without the substance of competence, communication and care is tantamount to walking on thin ice.  Eventually, your shortcomings will be exposed and your foundation will crumble. 

Part 1   l   Part 2   l   Part 3

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Marketing Luxury Real Estate: How to Get Invited to the High-End Listing Presentation?

Throughout this article series we focus on an important question that is often asked of us by luxury real estate marketing professionals who want to challenge the incumbent market leaders in their marketplace:  

“Why am I not on the "A List" when others who are less competent, less communicative or less caring are being invited to listing presentations for prestigious properties?” 

Our answer is quite simple:  YOU GOTTA HAVE GLAM!  But, this requires a depth of understanding of the real meaning of glamour, its counterpart, “charisma” and also the ability to seize control of the way you are perceived by your target market. Glamour is the “secret sauce”, which is at the core of personal and company branding in luxury real estate marketing. 

Men, be sure not to dismiss the word glamour as being gender specific because there is so much more to the full concept of glamour than just the style or appearance of women.  The allure of an expensive sports car or the rugged lifestyle of the Marlborough Man or the accolades of a famous athletic hero, or the call to duty to serve your country at a time of war is also at the root of glamour. 

When we behold glamour, in its many forms, it offers the promise of a different or better self or lifestyle.  Most importantly, as it pertains to marketing luxury real estate, it influences our decisions about what we buy as a consumer or whom we hire to sell our most expensive assets. 

In Part 2 of this article series we will begin to answer the question about How to get the most coveted invitation in our industry, the invitation to the  High-End Listing Presentation?

Part 1   l   Part 2   l   Part 3

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Luxury Real Estate Brand Strategy: Think Smart

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

Here is one of the most common questions we get from luxury real estate marketing professionals: 

How can I focus on selling luxury homes without alienating my clients is other price ranges?

One answer is to create separate brands for the two components of your real estate practice.   One stands for luxury the other stands for your general practice.  Follow the wisdom of Daimler, manufacturer of both Mercedes Benz and smart (all lower case).  

In the early 1990s the inventor of Swatch approached Mercedes Benz to realize his vision of the “ultra-urban” car.  Although, the car took off fast in Europe and elsewhere around the world it was introduced to the United State ten years later as the 37^th country to sell smart for two.  

One of the coolest things about this car is that it can back into a parking space because it is as long and it is wide. Two smart cars can actually fit into a single parking space! However that  type of parking is prohibited in most US jurisdictions and some cites around the world. 

The key takeaway here for luxury real estate marketing professionals, from a branding standpoint, is that smart does not dilute the MBZ brand nor does it alienate would-be smart buyers. It works much better to create two brands rather than branding the “ultra-urban” car as “MBZsmart” or “Mercedes Benz” mini.  

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

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Luxury Real Estate Personal and Company Branding: Simple and Memorable Branding, Part 3

Like wineries and beauty products, the food industry is another highly competitive field, even more so than luxury real estate marketing.  The competition for shelf space and visibility in the various markets is a constant juggling act. Our research shows that the cookie and cracker-manufacturing sector is expected to reach annual revenues of $410 billion by 2015.    

Trader Joe’s carries many cracker and cookie brands, and recently they have contracted with manufacturers to produce their own label of cracker brands.  Unlike other manufacturers, they are in control of their shelf space.  And they understand that in order to sell it to their customers, branding is just as important as taste.  After tasting, “Some Enchanted Cracker,” we were delighted with the taste as well as the name.

Humor is often employed in crafting Trader Joe’s brand names. No doubt, the song “Some enchanted evening,” from South Pacific was an inspiration for the name.  The packaging is uncluttered for this unique multi-grain cracker.

According to industry experts, “The top 50 companies [in the dry baked industry] account for more than 90 percent of industry revenue.  Small operations can compete effectively by manufacturing allergen- and sugar-free products, high-end cookies and crackers, or products containing unusual ingredients”.

The same applies to marketing luxury real estate.  There is always room for sharply focused niche players.  The key is to cleverly brand yourself and your niche to stand out.

Is your brand simple and memorable?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

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Luxury Real Estate Personal & Company Branding: Simple & Memorable Branding, Part 2

Like wineries (covered in Part 1 of this article series), the beauty products industry is another highly competitive industry, even more so than luxury real estate marketing.  The numbers are staggering. One expert predicted that by 2017, total revenue in the global beauty market would be $257 billion dollars.    

With so much at stake, expert branding is the key to standing out on cosmetic counters worldwide and capturing mind share, then market share.   One of the rising product category stars in beauty marketing is combining the foundations and the moisturizers all in one tube, which is known as the “beauty balm”.  The idea here is to keep it quick and simple for the busy ladies of the world. 

Depicted here is a beauty balm brand that is both simple and memorable. Too Faced is a clever play on the words “two” (as well as two products in one), and also the expression, “two-faced”, which means hypocritical or duplicitous.  It also communicates the product’s promise of value: looking better, or putting on a better face.  

Is your brand simple and memorable? 

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

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Luxury Real Estate Personal & Company Branding: Simple & Memorable Branding

The competition in the wine industry is even fiercer than in luxury real estate marketing.  Many wineries pay over $80,000 for a brand label given that wine production in the United States is growing.  Many states are newcomers in the wine industry and they want to outdo the California wineries, which represent 90% of American wine production.

Here is an example of label that is both simple and memorable.  Pedrigris Wine is a play on the word “Pedigree”.  It also represents the grape content, which is Pinot Gris, which further explains the change in spelling. The back label reveals that this wine grown in the Yakima Valley in the horse country, hence the label with a horse.  Note the horseshoe within the date completing the theme.  And to add more credibility to the brand, this wine is bottled and cellared in St. Helena, California.

Is your brand simple and memorable?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

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