Case Studies

The Challenge:

Canderel Stoneridge’s VP of Marketing, Riz Dhanji, turned to his marketing team at LA Inc and his PR team at Brandon Communications to build on the solid success and high levels of awareness for the first two DNA sites on King West to create an evolutionary public relations and communications program intended to connect the condo and the consumer at every opportunity.

The Solution:

With an understanding of PR better than most PR people, Dhanji worked with Brandon and LA to establish a rich inventory of creative elements and opportunities to engage traditional media, social media influencers and individual purchasers, while reinforcing the brand campaign at every interaction.

Brandon, with the support of the marketing team, embraced DNA3’s layered strategy and began a year-long public relations program intended not just to raise awareness, but drive people to the DNA3 sales centre.

This strategic approach to push traffic to the site was fully aligned with the overall sales strategy; a strategy supported by the developer’s decision to encourage Cecconi Simone and LA Inc to create one of Toronto’s largest- most expensive- and most impressive Presentation Centres.

Believing that the sales experience on site would contribute significantly to the ability to close sales, Brandon Communications engaged in an aggressive media relations program, supported by social media and traditional marketing tactics, to connect consumers to the brand and drive visits to the Presentation Centre.

Widespread front page editorial opportunities with mainstream media (Star, Globe, Post, Sun) targeted niche media (including real estate publications, local and ethnic press, etc) and social media (e.g. buzzbuzzhome.com, urbantoronto.ca, yongestreetmedia.ca) were pursued in a sustained campaign that resulted in impactful exposure for the project, on a sustained monthly basis.

Brandon ability to drive high profile, sustained exposure was due to the volume of ‘storylines’ DNA3 (and Riz Dhanji) presented the PR team. With a myriad of angles, the rich catalogue of editorial stories on DNA3 included coverage about the product, design, architecture, technology, lifestyle, etc.

Brandon was even able to drive coverage that told the story of the tactics being used to tell the story!

Beyond the editorial focus of the PR program, Brandon’s strategy was to use the Presentation Centre itself as a public relations vehicle. Given its size and visual impact, efforts were made to treat the Presentation Centre as an “event space” that would host thousands of people over the sales cycle, in a series of social and/or business-related gatherings.

A series of focused developer-driven events with targeted audiences were used throughout the year to drive connections with key consumers, members of the brokerage community and key industry and lifestyle influencers, as were third party events, like the LGFashionWeek which held its 2009 show at the DNA3 site.

These brand-relevant events and the sustained, strategic and impactful media exposure generated throughout the year helped make DNA3 one of Toronto’s most successful condo developments of 2010… and helped take the brand “to the next level.”