Case Studies

The Challenge:

When a relatively new development company, with limited brand awareness, launches its “first” project it can be difficult to get attention in today’s hyper-competitive media marketplace. And when that project boasts a mere 172 suites, stands just 7 storeys tall and sits in the shadows of Daniels’ highly successful, widely exposed and iconic multi-phase high-rise community at Bayiew and Sheppard, the challenge of standing out can seem insurmountable.

The Solution:

Brandon Communications believes that finding ways to differentiate and distinguish between projects- projects that often boast the same designers and architects, similar size ranges, comparable pricing and identical “lifestyle” marketing imagery- can make the difference between headlines in the Toronto Star and no lines in the sales centre!

Convinced that Jade Condominiums needed a message beyond the typical location, architecture and design threads most new developments use to weave their story, Brandon took its inspiration from the dream team of consultants client Henry Strasser and Phantom Developments selected for Jade’s architecture, interior design, marketing and sales.

A dream team… exclusively of women!

Coupled with the Strasser family’s history manufacturing garments made specifically for women (under the venerable Phantom brand name), Brandon crafted a public relations program for Jade that defined the development as Toronto’s first condominium geared to women.

With sound demographic and sales data supporting the premise that the majority of condo purchases are made by women (even in couples, evidence shows women drive the purchasing decision), Brandon worked with Bonnie, Tania, Tiffany, Sigale, Andrea, Tamatha, Lindsay and the other women on the Jade team to shape and influence elements of the architecture/design and sales/marketing program, in a gender specific approach meant to resonate with female buyers.

By enhancing existing features and tweaking others- including offering lowered upper cabinet heights, enhanced bathroom lighting, elongated bathtubs, and augmented security features- Brandon was able to combine these disparate elements in a comprehensive pitch to support the “female-focused hook” and interest real estate (and non-housing related media) in a “new” condo story.

This new condo story immediately resonated with print and broadcast journalists, and resulted in strong editorial exposure. Nevertheless, it was not the media coverage which best demonstrated the success of Brandon’s PR program; instead it was the story of a first-time buyer at Jade, who best encapsulated the effectiveness of the project’s communications campaign.

Anxious to talk with media about her decision to buy at Jade, Christine Keleshian did several media interviews, including one with CFTO News, on behalf of the project. In her tv appearance, Christine told reporter Dana Levenson that after condo shopping “for what seemed like forever, my father showed me an article in the newspaper describing a condo designed for women… The article touched on everything I was seeking, and the condo had everything I wanted.”

In an environment in which clients are constantly asking to measure the effectiveness of their PR expenditure, Christine’s story clearly demonstrates the power of PR… and the value of a new development that has something unique to say!