Friday, November 6, 2009

Condo marketer promises Escape from Boringville





By Eve Lazarus

West Vancouver based Larco Investments has kicked off an unusual print and outdoor campaign to flog condos in their latest development, Morgan Crossing.

Called “Escape from Boringville,” Fingerprint Strategies, a real estate marketing firm, and Spring Advertising have created a billboard art installation, online banner ads as well as print and classified ads meant to make new home buyers think twice before buying a generic condo.

To launch the billboard execution, Spring bought a 1992 Plymouth Voyager and five mannequins and had everything spray painted beige. The mannequins have left the car and are positioned scrambling up the billboard desperate to get a glimpse at life in Morgan Crossing, said Rob Schelycher, creative director at Spring.

A print ad running in local papers shows two beige people outside a row of beige houses and the caption “There’s a ton of stuff to do, if you have a full tank of gas.”

Larco figures that house buyers are looking for more than just a front door, garage and mini van that they have to drive to the corner store.

“It’s a very European style in that it’s a walkable community where everything you want to do is right outside your door,” said Schelycher. “We are taking the people who would ordinarily buy a very generic condo in a generic community and showing them that it’s not a very exciting way to live. We’re giving them Morgan Crossing as an alternative where they can have a life and have fun in their neighbourhood.”

Schelycher said the campaign targets first time home-buyers, people downsizing and those moving from smaller condos in the suburbs.

“So much real estate advertising tends to assume that people are interested in the message. This work is meant to get people interested and paying attention to an alternative real estate message which is not to buy a regular condo but to live in a community,” said Schelycher.

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