Achieving marketing objectives in today's industry - Mid-Year Review and Forecast

In a highly competitive market, establishing a commercial real estate company's singularity and distinguishing its services is a challenge that is not always easily met. The importance of a carefully planned marketing, communications, and advertising campaign in achieving these ends cannot be underestimated.

From day one, being intimately involved in and aware of your company's objectives is the key to planning a successful program. It is only with this information that decisions can be made on identifying the audience that you are trying to reach, what message you hope to deliver to them, and how you can best accomplish this.

Headquartered in Greenwich, CT, Bryant Development Corp. is a full-service real estate organization engaged in acquisitions, project development and re-development, property and asset management, leasing, marketing, and construction management in the Northeast for retail, office, and mixed-use developments. Bryant Development's main objective, however, is to develop a substantial real estate portfolio of high-quality strip shopping centers and Class A office buildings in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic portions of the U.S.

A lack of awareness and recognition in the marketplace was the leading factor in the lower-than-desired level of acquisition submissions by commercial real estate brokers, although Bryant Development's access to capital and its ability and desire to invest substantial funds in each investment makes it relatively unique in the entrepreneurial word. The many opportunities that exist in today's real estate market were not always being seen by the Bryant team. Our first requirement was to establish a presence in the marketplace to let the industry know who we are and what we are doing.

This goal was relatively simple to achieve. Our desired audience was vast, comprised of developers, investors, lenders, owners/managers, and brokers, as well as major corporations and firms that engage in the purchase, sale, and lease of commercial properties. Targeted media advertising in key real estate and related trade publications, such as this one, was utilized to announce our activities to this group of real estate-related companies. This has allowed us to convey our message to the largest segment of the marketplace in the most efficient and economical fashion. Regular advertising placement also maintains a high profile for the company in the trends of real estate executives and reinforces our objective. By carefully monitoring the overall response from our ads, we have been able to determine which ads or publications have been most effective in order to further fine-tune our campaign.

Equally important in getting our message heard is the frequent distribution of news-worthy press releases to the same targeted media. The creation of press releases allows us the opportunity to deliver timely information on our activities, providing relevant details to our industry on major property decisions including purchases, sales, leases, and redevelopment. Press releases also reinforce the market presence initially established by our advertising campaign.

Keeping in touch with the company's growing objectives has resulted in another advertising avenue being explored. As Bryant becomes more active in the pursuit of retail property portfolios, our marketing focus is also expanding to include publications relating to real estate securities and REIT news. By establishing a presence in this market sector and augmenting our existing reputation, we hope to rapidly attract another influx of business overtures.

As a private real estate investment and development company that acquires existing properties and re-develops, leases and manages them to maximize returns, Bryant Development Corp., Inc. is also qualified to provide these same services to both institutional and entrepreneurial owners. This is a third message that we want to impart to the marketplace, and can be done by again sitting down and looking at relevant publications and their editorial calendars. By carefully selecting those editions which are focused on property and asset management issues, we can intelligently reach the market sector we are aiming for. These editions al so have a longer lifespan, being preserved by readers as reference materials, and thus yielding greater longevity to our ad as well.

In summary, an intelligent, well-informed, and comprehensive marketing, communications, and advertising campaign is a strategic device that is essential to the successful evolution of a company ... It can establish a company's perception in the marketplace, provide a competitive advantage, and will pay for itself over the long-term.

COPYRIGHT 1995 Hagedorn Publication
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group