Your typical property ad describes the house and little else - the amount of rooms, whether pets are allowed or not, and you can generally decipher the property's age and the amount of TLC required from the property specialist's choice wording ('Fixer-upper ideal for DIY enthusiast', anyone?)
Blok wanted to steer clear of this by instead focusing on the lifestyle aspect involved in living on their property, spinning the tried and tested ad messages to emphasise the consumer's lifestyle - with impressive results.
I chatted to Jacques van Embden, MD and Co-Founder of Blok, as well as Mike Bond of North about thoughtful design, the Blok campaign in particular and why it's been such a success...
1. Tell us how this creative campaign came about, and how the team from North implemented it. Van Embden and Bond: Blok's creative campaign is all about disrupting the industry - this is our main objective. We chose to do this as it would position Blok as a fresh new brand that consciously chooses to do things differently. The property industry's design is very template-driven, whereas Blok chooses to approach its design with a more emotive method - using beautiful and whimsical images and less copy.
Point of sale is very big; we use billboards (a huge tool) as they are used to show people where the next Blok building would be before it's even launched. Other creative concepts include the exhibition space (which we can't talk about yet) and of course our beautiful print ads.
Unlike the rest of the property industry, our magazines are not purely sales drivers but are actually an interesting snapshot of the neighbourhood. They are more than brochures. They talk about so much more than just the properties; it's all about promoting the neighbourhood and community.
2. Sounds appealing. What's the intention of the campaign? Van Embden and Bond: The intention is to be representative of Blok as a new-age property brand. The company comprises very driven and young entrepreneurs and minds - we want the campaign to show that. This is a new wave of property developers with a new way of doing things.
3. Tell us about the move away from what property can offer you and focus on what urban living can offer a Blok owner - a sign of the 'consumer-centric' times we live in?Van Embden and Bond: Definitely, advertising now has to appeal to the consumer's specific lifestyle. The consumer has evolved. A part of this is that they are more cynical and are less inclined to believe a message just because a brand has packaged it beautifully and is telling them that it's the right choice.
In order for advertising to be successful, the brand needs to put the consumer first and the brand second - opposite to the way it used to be. The way to do this is by asking what the consumer wants and then asking how your brand can deliver.
So for property and urban living specifically, we recognise that this is a new movement that is taking place around the world, which is why Blok first tries to answer the needs of their consumer. The brand tells them where to get their coffee, go to the doctor and more. In essence, they are answering their consumer's needs.
4. Interesting. Tell us more about the 'lifestyle magazine' that's launched with every new development. Van Embden and Bond: It actually is a magazine that you can read. The quality is incredible because a dedicated editorial team puts it together. The finishes of the magazine are stunning; it includes unique imagery, content and is printed on the best quality paper.
This is indicative of everything that Blok does. There is no 'one' part of the campaign that is not thought through, something we refer to as 'thoughtful design'. The brand takes care and provides quality in everything that it puts out.
The magazine aims to showcase the talent of a Blok community and puts emphasis on their philosophy that home does not stop at the front door.
5. Is the jury in yet on whether this was a success? Van Embden and Bond: Yes, definitely. The sales-to-date is proof of how positive the reaction has been.
Blok has a "pipeline business", which includes people who have signed up because they believe in the Blok brand and they want what Blok portrays.
The investor uptake and growth of the brand has been phenomenal. It includes 59/69 apartments sold to date, representing property sales worth over R300m.
Certainly effective then - disrupt and reap the rewards! Click here for more on the campaign.
