When we were approached by a Norfolk-based property company struggling with its property marketing we had little idea that we were about to become a part of a slick and successful four-month marketing campaign that would take a company from the start of a complete rebrand to being voted a Future50 2019 organisation.
The Client
The newly renamed Crafton had a recently appointed CEO who had both the vision of where the company should be and the ability to communicate that with us.
This was a company which had at its heart a deep love of the Norfolk countryside and a sympathetic understanding of the character required in its new homes. We immediately saw the quality of the product – from the best building methods and materials to the importance of well-designed interiors fully-equipped with the latest technologies – and understood that we needed to communicate its focus on quality and tradition while also its desire to embrace all that is contemporary in new housing.
The Brief
Our brief, in the first instance was to review the marketing of the 137 existing new homes spread over three developments in Norfolk: the properties had not been selling whilst other new homes in the county were. We were asked to look at full residential property marketing including the branding, logo, stationery, brochures, website, signage, PR and promotional items.
One of the existing developments Bankside, in the beautiful village of Barnham Broom, was seen as a marker for all future Crafton developments and needed to be positioned at the top end of the new homes market. The team at Simpsons Creative recommended that the branding for this should reflect the exclusivity of the project and at the same time should offer a template into which future Crafton developments could be accommodated. Whilst this took a little more time it would ensure time and cost savings for future developments as well as providing the starting point to building good brand recognition.
The Logo
The first step was to design a logo which communicated the key messages. This was achieved with a simple rosette image on a sage green background with its own Pantone reference. The green evokes the Norfolk countryside while retaining a smart and contemporary feel when applied to the stationery and other printed materials.
We continued the theme across the brochure and signage design and were delighted to work in partnership with the selling agent, Savills for the CGIs and photography of individual homes.
The Website
Next came the design, development and build of the Crafton website – again working with the new branding we were able to communicate the rural positioning of the properties and the love of Norfolk through the use of the iconic windmill image and then take the opportunity to showcase the high-spec interiors. Links to the Savills website make the viewing process seamless.
The Signage
The signage element of any property promotion is key. Working with the client we quickly established the opportunities for flags, hoardings, site specific branding and wayfinding options and created a bespoke solution for each of the schemes; which included obtaining quotations for the client, commissioning contractors and managing the process of print, production and installation.
PR
This partnership with Savills continued with the launch event to promote all three developments. Keen to introduce the local press, businesses and the public to the Crafton brand, Simpsons developed a series of ads for the Eastern Daily Press and a social media campaign with the key message “Buy this 3-bedroom house for only £127 pw”. It communicated affordability and quality and included an invitation to the launch.
Tamara Greener of Savills was impressed with the results: “This was a well-targeted campaign which saw 22 couples viewing over the weekend and an expected 70% conversion. The following weekend continued with further, better than anticipated, numbers”.
We also designed promotional items to be included in the vendor pack: the Crafton umbrella available to couples viewing the properties in the rain, mugs and a key fob.
The Results
The properties are selling as they should and marketing materials are now being discussed for the next phase of the company’s development. Validating their success, in May, Crafton was selected as one of the 50 companies in Future50 – a collection of Norfolk and Suffolk’s most innovative and ambitious companies chosen as part of a programme delivered by Archant with partners Barclays, Birketts, Lovewell Blake, New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and UEA.
