Branding Moments: Selling With Breakfast at Hermes In Beverly Hills

We are always intrigued by the window displays of the big brands. It is the expression of how a brand maintains its visibility with the public.  Hermes always captures our attention with their creative approach to displaying their merchandise.

As with everything Hermes does, they hire the best people for every aspect of their merchandise, as well as their marketing.  We have watched how they hand sew their purses stitch by stitch, and admired the workmanship on ties and scarves with their hand rolled edges that are also fastened by someone’s skillful hands.

We study brands like Hermes, because they inspire us with their creativity and attention to detail.   Whether or not this display is appealing, it certainly gets your attention.

2017 Brand of the Year: Wagner Family of Wine – Part 2

Recently, we visited our local wine store, here in Santa Barbara to select an Argentinian Malbec from the Mendoza region. A bottle of Red Schooner (pictured above) captured our attention solely because of its stunning old world label. Upon closer inspection we saw the red banner in the sky containing the words “Wagner Family” from Napa Valley.  We were so impressed by how well the label told the brand story that we chose Wagner Family of Wine as The Language of Luxury 2017 Brand of the Year. Here is why:

Credibility & Heritage:

We already know and love Caymus, owned by the Wagner Family of Wine in Napa Valley. Caymus is the only winery in the world to have received the prestigious “Wine of the Year” award twice by Wine Spectator for its legendary Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon.

As a four-generation family-owned wine business, the Wagners have successfully created several other sub-brands such as Conundrum, the popular fruit-forward blend of white wines. The choice of the brand name, Red Schooner and the vintage graphics amplified this brand dimension of “heritage”.

Transparent Use of Technology

Red Schooner is made from grapes grown in the Andes Mountains, but shipped chilled to Napa Valley and produced with the same techniques as their Caymus Cabernet.  Delicately handled and kept in cold stasis the grapes arrive in California in pristine condition.  The use of this technology is completely transparent to the consumer.

Turning Labeling Constraints Into a Brand Story

Most of the world best Malbecs are produced in Argentina. But, Red Schooner is not a Malbec produced in Argentina. Nor, is it a Napa Malbec because it is produced with grapes from Argentina. Falling outside standard labeling rules, it does not include a vintage date but is known by the voyage from which it was produced (Voyage 3 is the 2012 vintage). Hence, these labeling constraints were turned into the core of the brand story. Brilliant!!!

Winemaker’s Notes: A Malbec with a California twist. Floral, Chocolate and creamy rich like the Caymus Cabs! We loved it!

What are the branding lessons you can apply here in your luxury real estate marketing practice?

2017 Brand of the Year: Wagner Family of Wine – Part 1

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, standing out from your competition is of paramount importance. Done right, your personal or company branding accelerates the decision making process for home sellers to consistently choose YOU to list their home. 

But, what if you are the current market leader known as the expert in a specific niche, how do you expand into another niches where you have not yet achieved top-of-mind status? Studying how the world’s best brands, in other industries, have successfully created sub-brands, can offer tremendous insights that can help propel your expansion into additional luxury real estate market niches.

In the very crowded wine industry it is extremely challenging to introduce a new brand that stands out from the crowd.  Without a recommendation from a trusted friend, or from a trusted purveyor of fine wines, or from an article written by a trusted source, how do you choose a wine that is just right for you, without first tasting it?

While it is true that you cannot judge a book by its cover, the same applies to judging a wine by its label. However, with so many bottles of wine vying for your attention a stunning label or a distinctive bottle can be the first step in standing out from the crowd.  To hold the attention of the consumer you first have to capture the consumer’s attention. 

And, that is what great packaging, labeling, graphics and a compelling brand story can do. Just check out the photo above of wine bottles without labels. Do you have any clue whatsoever that can help you decide to purchase one of them?

In this article series, we feature Wagner Family of Wine, who became famous for Caymus, one of Napa Valley’s finest Cabernet Sauvignons. As a four-generation family-owned wine business, the Wagners have successfully created several other sub-brands.  For this reason we have chosen Wagner Family of Wine as The Language of Luxury 2017 Brand of the Year.

Watch for Part 2 and learn how to expand into a new market niche.

Branding Moments: Does Your Ad Communicate, Or Is It Just Ho-hum?

If you are going to spend the money on a print ad, make sure that it is not just another ad for a home.  Don’t leave the onlooker wonder or just turn the page.  Unlike the public at large, we pay attention to ads because it is part of what we do for our clients.  We want to make sure that the message is communicated clearly and succinctly.

As we look at this Richard Mille ad, at first glance, we see a tube of lipstick holding up a watch. Or is it a red bullet based on the “caliber RM 037” notation.  After some research we discovered that it is the name of the watch, “Red Bullet Caliber RM037.  Leaving room for misunderstanding creates friction and barriers in the purchasing process. Worst of all, it leaves a ho-hum impression.

What Is Missing In This Picture?

In England and other Commonwealth countries judges and barristers (lawyers) still wear powdered wigs, as part of their formal attire, to bring a sense of formality and solemnity to proceedings. In French there is a saying that perfectly describes people who copy or parrot others without a foundation of knowledge or research, just to impress others: It’s “wearing the wig without the brain”. 

In this day of fake news and faux journalism, jaded opinions and paid social influencers, it has never been more important to get your facts accurate when blogging or conversing with your luxury real estate clients. Otherwise, they will begin to ask themselves, “What is missing in this picture” and the answer will be YOUR BRAINS!

Recently, we heard about a listing of mansion owned by a very famous American family. Three agents were interviewed. Only one knew the difference between the Monet and Manet (two renowned, original impressionist artists). The other two agents relied on their respective company’s brand and affiliations with British auction houses to impress the seller; they personally had no clue about the famous Impressionist paintings in this home. They had the wig without the brain.

Had the other two agents taken the time to research the coffee table book published about the art and furnishings within this mansion they would have had a better chance to win the listing.  But, alas they were dismissed on the basis of lack of research alone!

The moral of the story is ask yourself what is missing in your knowledge base whether you are selling a luxury home or anything else.  Your value as an agent will continue to appreciate over time if you do.

How Differentiating Yourself With Features Becomes So 5 Minutes Ago

Using features to differentiate yourself from your competition is an invitation to be imitated. Dig deeper to discover what makes YOU inimitable.

Features like drone photography that add drama to listing videos or 3D photography of interiors can be copied immediately. What initially helps you to stand out and impress your target market becomes old news, fast.  We say these kinds of features have a shelf life of 5 minutes before everyone who loves to copy and hop on your bandwagon, jumps in.

The picture above is of two pairs of sneakers designed by Valentino named the Rockstud Genuine Mink Fur Sneaker.  It is priced at $1245.  Not to be outdone by Valentino, Givenchy, another luxury brand has a similar shoes with genuine mink for $950.  Moncler, the luxury ski clothing brand, has genuine fox-covered sneakers for $670. 

For those who prefer “faux” fur for a fraction of the price, designers such as Sam Edelman and Steve Madden have come up with sneakers with faux fur priced at $55.00 to $90.00.  You can also buy an assortment of faux fur shoe clips for $15.00 each or real mink fur balls for $22.50.

Do not pin your hopes on just using features to distinguish yourself from your competition.  Work on expressing your unique promise of value in a way that cannot be imitated.

How To Find The Under-Served Market Niche!

We are often asked how does one find the under-served market niche in order to dominate in your chosen marketplace?

First, you need to identify what category your competitor is. Here is an example of how we found an under-served niche for one of our clients. At first glance, it looked like her three competitors dominated the luxury marketplace, and all three had stellar reputations.

The first competitor was working with historically established “old wealth” families like her own.  They all belonged to the same country club, lived in the same neighborhoods, shopped in the same stores, and went to the same private schools.

The second competitor was politically connected through her work in raising funds for politicians as well as her husband’s legal firm.  This group of people lived in the same neighborhoods, and they were connected through similar interests and business ventures.

The third competitor had a background in international business. Her clientele was international buyers. She was known for only taking listings that were priced at $4million and above. 

All three had what is known in marketing speak “an unfair advantage” based on established connections. Unless we could give our client a personality and background transplant, she did not have a chance to compete in these luxury segments of this marketplace.

Second you need to thoroughly research your marketplace to locate the under-served niche.  It can be based on psycho graphics as illustrated above by the competitors.  This is just one way to identify an under served market niche.

The under-served niche was the emerging entrepreneurial wealth.  They were creators, innovators, iconoclasts (those who challenge established beliefs), and hip nerds looking for luxury homes in areas that were different.  Her personality, core values and love of modern art fit like a glove with these new path blazers.  We called this category, “hip luxury.”

The third step is to develop a strategy. From this a brand statement emerges.  Now you are ready for a logo, which encompasses images, fonts, colors that are all in harmony with the brand statement and strategy. 

The first day her marketing materials came out, our client gave a brochure to her dermatologist.  That afternoon, the dermatologist’s friends called.  They wanted to sell their home and move up.  Fifteen years later, she is still prospering in this niche.

How To Appreciate Diversity in Values

To be truly effective as a luxury real estate marketing professional it behooves you to become fluent in all facets of the luxury mindset especially those facets that do not particularly resonate with your own values. Appreciate diversity in values.

One of the most important facets to understand is the concept of “status”. Owning an expensive home in the “right” neighborhood clearly telegraphs, to those who are likely to be impressed, the price of the home and thus it signals wealth.

You might scoff at this because it does not resonate with your own values.  But, you must appreciate how important it is to many potential luxury homebuyers, if you want to do business with them.  For the status conscious consumer, the luxury home is much more than a house; it is a status symbol.

Having worked for 20 years as broker-owners of a commercial real estate firm in Beverly Hills, where we specialized in high-end retail property sales and leasing, we came to truly appreciate this particular luxury mindset.  Although, it was not our own mindset, we were able to capitalize on significant opportunities to work with status conscious clients to build a highly successful real estate practice.

We often marveled at the status conscious consumers in West Los Angeles because we are not among those who are overly impressed with wealth. We are however, always impressed with achievement. Keeping that common value in mind we get along quite well with just about everyone in these circles.  Oddly,  some of the biggest achievers are also insecure.

Many status conscious consumers are pretentious.  But, living in their unique “bubble”, we noticed that, in LA at least, they are often genuine about their pretentiousness. It is a place like no other on our planet. And, we enjoy co-existing with them.

Get Fluent, Get Affluent!

Do Not Imitate Your Competition: Become Inimitable

As a luxury or other real estate marketing professional, if you want to challenge the market leader in your area the last thing you want to do is imitate the incumbent.  This is one of those branding traps that even some of the biggest brands fall into and get nowhere as a result.  Originality and distinctiveness is the route to market leadership.  As a challenger, one of your best bets is to take the opposite position as the market leader or else "own" (excel at) the attribute that represents your competitor's greatest weakness.

Imitating your competitor is a declaration to anyone observing that you have no imagination whatsoever.  You look like a “me too!” And what is worse than that is that their way of doing things may not suit your personality or your way of doing business, or the marketplace that you are seeking to gain. 

One of our clients is known for her incredible system of staying in touch with her clients.  People love to hear from her and look forward to her distinctive mailings as well as her annual calendar.  A competitor decided to challenge her with a similar campaign, and the headline of her marketing promo read:  “I am not Valerie, I am Suzie!” (fictitious names).  Her campaign produced no results whatsoever!  What she did is strengthen our client’s hold on this community.

Beware of the temptation to imitate the market leader. It is the sure path to failure. Find out what you stand for and don’t be afraid to be inimitable!

Are You Standing Out In An Ocean of Me Too?

We often talk about the imperative of personal branding, in the highly competitive world of luxury real estate marketing. Now, with social media leveling the playing field your website is accessible more than ever before, and the need to stand out is mission critical.

Having the best “packaging” is often the determining factor in selecting an agent online because consumers are pressed for time and they have the power to quickly move on to check out your competitors in a single click. Even those who are referred to you by trusted sources will check out your website.  They want to be assured that you know how to market yourself.  If you do that well, they are assured that you will market their home well also.  Furthermore, this will indicate to a buyer that you know the marketplace and will take time to understand therm.

Recently we were in a bookstore. Alexandra was looking for a book and I snapped this picture of the “Women’s Interests” section in the magazine racks. The layout of the covers on just about every magazine in this category looked almost identical. With the exception of one magazine, every cover had a picture of a model surrounded by words intended to hook buyers. Doesn’t this remind you of the plethora of agent websites with head shots that look so much alike? Like the myriad of magazines, the content is the same.   

Statistics show that most books and magazines are selected solely based on the cover, the graphic imagery and the messaging. It is the same online. Think of your personal brand as your book cover or your magazine cover. Certainly, there is much more to your brand than this. But, if you are looked over because you blend in like the majority of magazines in any given category your shelf life is going to be limited and you will not have a chance to deliver your valuable service as often as you would like.  

It is important to understand that in blending in and looking like everyone else in the luxury real estate arena you are not demonstrating your marketing savvy. More than ever the luxury and other real estate seller/buyer is looking for the individual who understands the importance of standing out in an ocean of me too. Are you standing out in an ocean of me too?

Romanticize The Lifestyle Of Your Market: It attracts sellers & buyers

Romanticizing the lifestyle of your marketplace sells homes because it provides an emotional context. Romanticizing the lifestyle in your marketplace as part of your blog's content, engages buyers, increases your blog subscribers and propels them to make decisions.

A comprehensive marketing plan should include lifestyle. Real estate and lifestyle go hand in hand.  Adding lifestyle as part of your blog's content will increase your subscription roll.   After someone buys a home, they may be interested in what the home in the neighborhood sold for.  They may also like to know how the market is doing once in a while

The added value of your blog to a new homeowner is to share with them what is happening in your marketplace in terms of lifestyle.  This would include shopping, restaurants, events and entertainment.  As a longtime resident, you no doubt know of special "local" places and various hidden gems that cannot be found in guidebooks.

One of the reasons potential clients and referral sources follow your blog is because it speaks to their interests and values.  The connection and often the referrals happen when they find out that you have the same interests that they do. It is easier to relate to interests as a starting point.  And yes, it is obvious that you know the latest real estate statistics, too.  

When Prestige Supersedes competence – Part 2

In Part 1 of this article series we told a story of an extremely competent agent losing out on a “trophy” listing because her competitor worked for a more prestigious company brand with which the sellers identified more strongly. At stake was a $500K commission. We were inspired to write Part 2 because of some of the comments we received.

Sheri Sperry’s comment represented many when she said, “I feel bad that the right agent did not get the listing”.  This is definitely a valid response. We certainly wanted our friend to get the listing. 

But, from a broader perspective the seller and competing agent were a perfect match. And, that is truly what great branding accomplishes. A brand is a shortcut to matching making.  The brand just accelerated the match.

We also appreciated Anna Banana Kruchten’s remark, “I am fine about that; there is plenty of business out there”.  Back to the broader perspective, when you have an abundant mind you find that doing business with ideal clients is much more fun and rewarding.  The truth is there is no scarcity of ideal clients.

Yet, there is something to be said about switching brand when your current brand is impeding your progress. A client of ours was up for a $21M new construction listing from a good friend. However, the friend told him that he could not give our client the listing because our client’s company was not known for its luxury marketing.

This was a spec home with a huge investment of time and money and the owner did not want to take a risk on a sub-par luxury brand. Within hours of hearing about this opportunity our client called us to add his new company brand to his website and other marketing materials.  The next day, after the switch, the listing was signed and he soon sold the property.

The moral of this story is that your personal brand should stand on its own and be “portable” so that you can switch brands with ease if necessary. We are not saying that the grass is necessarily greener on the other side. In the case of our client, however, it was very, very green!

Sometimes A Great Notion Just Does Not Work!

When it comes to innovative marketing ideas, we are all ears and all eyes for that matter at Napa Consultants International. The Net-A-Porter magazine ad pictured above captured our attention because it had a unique call to action that required the use of technology to delve deeper into the product offering. Although this seemed promising as a potential method to amp up the value of print ads in luxury real estate publications, it failed to live up to its promise.  Sometimes a great notion does not work.

Net-A-Porter is one of the most successful online luxury retailers. In 2014, they premiered a glossy magazine after discovering that women like to shop online while reading about fashion. What a great idea to bridge print advertising with the use of a smart phone app to spark impulse shopping!

When I (Alexandra) saw this ad in the Summer Issue, I decided to follow directions to view the video.  I had previously downloaded the Net-A-Porter app.  However, I had not created a password. It took 6 attempts, due to various inexplicable tech glitches. Then, all I had to do was scan the page to see the video.  Even though a 10-minute video may be an eternity to some, I was willing to learn.

Much to my chagrin, my iPhone did not have the required scanning capability.  I asked my butler (Siri with an English accent), and he had no suggestions.  I also checked the iTunes store to no avail. At this point I had invested over 30 minutes.

I concluded that, although this may be a good idea with potential for the luxury real estate industry, it fell very short of my expectations. I am happy to report that I have deleted the app and have sent Siri back to the Butler Academy Sometimes a great notion just does not work.

Do You Want More Referral Business? Follow Your Interests & Passions

Santa Monica Bay, A View From Above

Social media is fine. But, as many of us have learned since its inception it is limited in terms of return on time invested.  What does works without fail is meeting people face to face in your community.  All you have to do is follow your interests and passions outside the realm of real estate.

Recently, a friend of ours was selling her mother’s condominium. She had the right buyer who came to her directly with a great all cash offer.  When she consulted her real estate attorney she was advised to hire an agent to shepherd the transaction.

She knew just who to call.  Our friend loves to read and belongs to three book clubs.  In one of her book clubs was a real estate agent with whom she enjoyed talking about books.  It was a “no-brainer”. She hired her book club friend. 

Like our friend, the agent loved to read.  Her main reason to be in the book club was to read and learn.  She was not there to promote herself or network.  She was pursuing her personal interests and passions.  

One of our many passions is education and keeping the oceans clean.  When we had our commercial real estate firm, we saw an ad in the Los Angeles Times asking business owners to be a school principal for a day. The school that chose us was doing a project on keeping the ocean waters clean. We signed up! 

This led us to developing a massive expanded clean ocean project that grew from one school to a whole district and then morphed into 14 communities surrounding the entire Santa Monica Bay.  Several listings and many real estate transactions could be traced back to our association with this project.

Follow your interests and passions with the goal of learning more and fulfilling your desires.  You will be surprised at the bounty of business that will come your way.

In Branding, “Distilling The Message” Is The Name of the Game – Part 1

In a time-starved world you only have a Nano-second to capture the attention of your target market and make an indelible, favorable impression about your brand. The first impression must convey the distillation of your marketing message, a message that immediately distinguishes you from your competition. If you are successful your target market will identify with your brand, want to learn more, and eventually want to “join your brand”. 

Distillation is the key to this process; it is the name of the game in personal or company branding in luxury real estate and in all businesses. In this article series we will explore the various components of a brand messaging and how the concept of distillation comes into play for each component including the brand position, the logo, the business card, the brochure, and the website.

Our experience as leaders in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry has yielded powerful insights that can and should be applied by any local service professional or local business owner who aspires to achieve top-of-mind status in their marketplace.  In the unabashed pursuit of market leadership you either stand out or bow out.  The key in all cases is to identify an uncontested or under served marketing niche that you can dominate.

Over 90% of our business is “out of town” and that requires extensive travel. Last year we decided to expand the scope of our own niche so that we could also work with other categories of local businesses here in Santa Barbara, thus eliminating out-of-town travel for those projects. Our case study in the distillation of the marketing message is centered on a Santa Barbara acupuncturist named Vishāl.

Follow us through this article series as we explain the steps involved in distilling Vishāl’s marketing message and see how you can apply the principles to your own professional real estate practice. What is your first impression of Vishāl’s logo, imagery and tag line depicted above? What does the message communicate to you without knowing any more information? Who do you think is the target market? Do you personally resonate with the message? Could you potentially be among the target market?

The Two Faces of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) Marketing

FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) marketing is a valid way to market as long as it does not taunt, tease or anger your target market. Here are the two faces of the FOMO story.

When Tesla announced its new Model 3 and opened it up for reservations we saw a line out the door in Santa Barbara of people waiting to give them their $1000 deposits.  Over 400,000 reservations came rolling in. The dynamic of FOMO Marketing was unleashed on the automotive scene as stories of this buying frenzy spread like wildfire throughout the media.

There was obviously a pent up demand for Tesla’s value proposition, offering ownership of an affordable model of this sustainable energy vehicle brand. Tesla brilliantly began as strictly a luxury brand with its $100K+ Roadster. By introducing an affordable model they effectively accomplished what Apple achieved as a brand, known for expensive computers, when it introduced the iPod. Everyone had to have one! No one wanted to be left out.

This morning, I (Alexandra here) called to cancel a credit card because we no longer wanted to pay the annual fee. The promise of value became negligible compared to a competing card that we subsequently acquired. 

Although the customer service representative was very nice, he explained to me that they would be downgrading us from the present “gold” card to the “bronze” card.   He also had me listen and agree to all the benefits I would be missing out on by having the lowly “bronze” card. And, then he added that I still had until July 20th to change my mind. 

When that bronze card arrives, we will put it in a safe place and not use it.  That is the “dark” side of FOMO. The taunting and teasing turned me completely off. It had the opposite effect. It must work on some people or they would not use it.

The dark side of FOMO marketing in real estate is evidenced when agents use the words “Too Late” instead of simply using the word “Sold”.  At the very least it annoys the potential buyers they are trying to attract.

The moral of the story: Do not rub it in! In doing so you will rub people the wrong way.

All photos are courtesy of Tesla.

When Is It Time to Update Your Brand?

APPLE'S FIRST BRAND IN 1976

There are objective markers that indicate when it is time to update or refresh your luxury real estate brand. It is better to refine your brand so that it reflects the evolution of your business rather than reacting to external market conditions.

One of the objective markers is when you embark upon an entirely new strategy or take on when a new niche becomes the focus of your company or professional practice.  Three of the companies we are working with are changing their business models.  Their existing brands no longer communicate the new direction and focus of the company.

Another marker that indicates that you should refresh your brand is when it no longer stands out, because the copycats have moved in and blurred what makes your brand distinct. While working with a company back East, we noticed an international franchise brand had changed their company colors to copy the market leader.

If you are a market leading company, and a new brand moves into town and starts recruiting your agents and your clients, take that as an objective marker that you should at least consider refreshing your brand.  It is easy to become complacent when no one is challenging your market dominance.  That is when you are most vulnerable. The new company can label you as stodgy and out of step with the times especially if they position themselves as the new innovators.

When Apple came on the scene they labeled the then market leader Microsoft as the stodgy brand to differentiate themselves as the cutting edge innovators. Certainly, the Apple brand has evolved over time as they surpassed Microsoft and all other tech companies as the most highly valued company in the world.

APPLE'S CURRENT BRAND

This year Apple will move into its new “spaceship” headquarter building and make a statement that will be heard around the globe:  We are still on the cutting edge, catch us if you can!”

Simple Luxuries & Small Indulgences

Throughout our career as luxury real of real estate brand strategists we have encountered the misconception that luxury is only about the lifestyle of the rich and famous. But, that is just what gets the most press.  It is the simple luxuries, the small indulgences that represent the heart of luxury.

Memorial Day Weekend was the official start of BBQ season for most of the country.  However, here in Santa Barbara, California we are fortunate to able to BBQ practically all year long. Ours has a 13.5-inch grill that is perfect for 2 people when we also grill locally sourced organic vegetables, which we do frequently. Or, for 4 people when we just cook the main course.

Recently, we picked up some absolutely fabulous fresh swordfish at our local seafood store, Kanaloa, that was caught right off our coastline the same morning we grilled it for dinner. We were told that to enjoy the rich flavor of this firm pink fish to the max we ought to thoroughly clean our grill first so that the fish does not stick to the grill or taste like other previously grilled foods.

So, we brought it into the kitchen and proceeded to make a complete mess of the sink, the scrubbing sponge and our $10 kitchen gloves.  There had to be a better way for future BBQs meals!

The “light bulb” went off when we discovered that a new replacement grill only costs $10. So, it is scour-no-more for us. We went out and bought 3 of them and that should last us until next Memorial Day Weekend.

Spending $10 on a new grill is a small indulgence that saves us time and hassle. It is one of the simple luxuries in our life. 

What are some of the simple luxuries in your life?  What small indulgence can you partake in today that will make your life more luxurious?

How To Create Buzz: Buzzing With Bananas And Snow Plows!

Buzz marketing is a way of getting media attention by orchestrating an event that is unusual in nature and results in people talking. It often is less expensive than traditional advertising.  Buzz generates word-of-mouth advertising.  Here is an example:

A Community Banana Stand outside the Amazon headquarters in downtown Seattle is the brainchild of Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.  He decided at the end of 2015, that Amazon should offer everyone the public and its employees a free healthy snack.  Bananas fit the bill perfectly.  They don’t need to be washed, and all one has to do is peel and eat.  Recently, they added another cart.  To date they have given away more that 1,7million free bananas.

In real estate, they are many opportunities to create a buzz.  One agent we met had planned an open house in her New England marketplace.  An overnight snowstorm threatened the cancellation of her open house, because the city plows would not reach the neighborhood until the next day. 

She hired plows to clear the roads to the open house, and had an announcement broadcast over the local radio station.  This caught the attention of the local media, as well as the New York Times.  Her business grew exponentially as a result of this action.  And yes, she sold the house as a result of the open house.

How can you generate buzz with your marketing?

Branding Moments: How To Tell A Great Story in One Minute And Ten Seconds!

Photo courtesy of Aplle

We usually push the mute button when commercials are on. We look away from the television set and resume reading our book, until the basketball game is back on. Even on mute, this commercial captured our attention.  It focused on the unique function of the portrait mode dual lens system on the iPhone 7Plus.

This ad tells shows people at a barbershop getting haircuts.  After their haircuts, their portrait picture is taken and displayed in the store windows and on the walls inside the shop. The video description is precise: “In Portrait Mode on iPhone 7Plus, you don’t just look good! You look fantastic!”

Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, remarked that phone has been the most popular model plus model the company has released.  Apple released more than three-dozen how to videos tips for iPhone 7Plus owners.  

In our opinion, this was one of the best commercials we have ever seen.  It told a story about the brand and left an indelible impression. It took only one minute and ten seconds!