Are You Blending in Like a Chameleon on a Leaf?

In certain cultures it is frowned upon to stand out from the crowd.  However, if market leadership is your quest  in luxury or any other real estate niche blending in like a chameleon does to camouflage itself is simply not an option.  

 This is a time, when competition for attention continues to escalate. Developing a highly distinguishable, consistent personal or company brand is important. As we say, Stand out or Bow out™!

Many agents and companies fall into the “chameleon trap” because they simply do not want to make waves.  Instead when they come up with new colors, their intent is to blurr the competition by doing something similar, to fit in with a similar look. 

 Blurring confuses the marketplace as to who is who among the brands to choose.  A perfect example can be seen in car design...Even the Bentley blends in as one of the newer auto companies has copied its styling and logo. 

Changing your colors to please others, to blend in or to avoid the pursuit of your competition is the antithesis of establishing your brand position and sticking with it steadfastly.   Instead of standing out you blend in, like a chameleon into a leaf.

Are You Blending in Like a Chameleon on a Leaf?

Marketing To Delight & Entice: Florida Luxury Home Video!

19 Sunrise Cay, Key Largo, Florida

 Our team member and cherished collaborator, two time Emmy award winner videographer recently created a video, of 19 Sunrise Cay, Key Largo, Fl., for our client's listing. This is Kerry McNally first luxury real estate video. 

We have always felt that real estate marketing videos should be short like a fine store window display.  It makes one want to go into the store. Simple, short and elegant is an invitation to inquire with 01.54 minute video.   

Videos that are chock full of details are often 5-10 minutes long, and will often overwhelm someone, and cause them to turn it off.  Instead, this video generated  serious interest and many showings. 

We loved his "first effort"!  We wanted to share it with all of you. It is a fine example of showing a home beautifully and briefly. There are no words, just music.  We think this style of marketing can easily apply to any priced home.  

This is marketing to entice and delight.  It is what every home deserves.

Using Video to Create Buzz in Luxury Marketing

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE

The Fine Wine Society is a very exclusive private wine club, hosting the finest wine events in the world, including the first Vintage Golf Classic in partnership with Dom Pérignon. Napa Consultants, Int’l was entrusted to create the website for Fine Wine Society that required approval from each of the brand managers of the top LVMH wine and spirit brands including Dom Pérignon, Château d’Yquem, Clos de Lambrays, Château Cheval Blanc, Hennessy and Glenmorangie.  This is a case study in the use of video to evoke a warm emotional response that tells the brand story while creating buzz.

Be sure to view the Fine Wine Society website using a computer or tablet to experience the richness of all the extraordinary video content.  View The Website.

Savvy Marketing: Co-Marketing Dole Pineapple & Disney's Pixar!

We noticed this unusual co-marketing while shopping in the fruit aisle.  We both were intrigued by the tag attached to a Dole pineapple.  And we wondered why Disney's Pixar is co-marketing with Dole.  

We turned the tag over (pictured above), and there was a vague explanation (both in English and in French). It was an invitation to visit their website.

On the website, you will find digital downloads of Dole and Pixar stickers.  You can make your own chef's hat, download a ratatouille place-mat, and view easy to make recipe videos.  Additional recipes can be printed.

We were impressed by this video.  It was well done and easy to follow.  The idea behind it was to engage the adults and children to have a good time being together (especially during this of health crisis) and include cooking together.  This also incorporates the message of healthy eating, and they even included a vegan recipe.  

And of course, it was about keeping the Disney brand alive and visible while the parks are closed. In our opinion this was very well done.  Bravo to both!

Branding Moment: Perfect Branding & Slogan!

It is always a delight for us to discover perfect branding with a perfect slogan.  Pictured above is an example of a place we frequent. This is definitely a place that the gardeners and landscapers in the area frequent.   

You have to know where it is because it is easy to miss as one drives along Milpas Avenue.   You enter via a driveway, and drive out the alley behind the store.

Since we had planned to move our dwarf Meyer lemon trees to bigger pots, we asked them if they could recommend soil that would enhance the life of our trees, (organic preferably).  Pictured above is the potting soil that they keep re-ordering to keep it in stock, because all the local pro gardeners and landscapers love it.

And service was impeccable.  We drove in yesterday and today for more soil, we popped our trunk open and they loaded our car.  Ron went in to pay with his phone.  Within minutes we were on our way home.

The brand and slogan are perfect.  A three word brand tells you who they are and what they do.  And the slogan attracts people like us who enjoy gardening and growing like pros!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Instead of Just Fishing, Go Where the Fish Are Biting...

On our beach walks, we meet fishermen and women who fish.   When we ask how do they determine where to cast their lines, their response is:  " Look where the birds are in the distance! That is where the fish are!"  And sure enough, as we look in the distance, we can see flocks of pelicans, cormorants  and other sea birds enjoying their meal!

On a whale watch in the Santa Barbara channel, the naturalist mentioned that the whales on their migration to Alaska follow the dolphins to feed. Like the birds,  the dolphins know were the fish are. And the moment the lookouts see the dolphins, they steer the boat in that direction!  It is one way to spot the whales.

In real estate, take the time to become objective and analyze the sales statistics of your marketplace. Exactly what is selling and where? The first key is to discover where the fish are biting. Then go fishing there.

But, you better have a clear sense of how you can serve this faster paced market segment better than your competition.  Your unique value proposition must be superior and it must be communicated explicitly through your personal or company brand.

We say, when you get your branding  spot on you actually do not have to go fishing for prospects, the fish will start jumping in your boat.  If you are able to clearly articulate your distinct promise of value to your target market sales should become irrelevant because you are succinctly letting them know, with certainty, that you can resolve their most pressing challenges.

While others are fighting for the prestige that comes with winning a fewer number of trophy listings, you could be out-thinking them by selling a higher volume of mid-range properties. 

One of the mother and daughter teams we worked with had settled on working in a super exclusive area.  When together we analyzed the market place, it was obvious that were rarely a fish in this market place. One or two homes a year sold there.

The hot market was elsewhere.  It was in the mid-range condominiums, that were being built in the downtown area. The daughter was on the board of the city redevelopment group as the downtown area was being spiffed up.  This became their fishing ground, and once in a while they listed one of the ultra luxury properties.

This price range, as a niche, is often overlooked by those vying for the big fish and can thus become under-served.  Develop an outrageous and extraordinary promise of value. Bowl them over with service that makes you stand out and you will have a winning formula for success.

Marketing Madness: Just One Look-That is All it Took to Toss This!!

Great marketing is achieved with the thorough understanding of who are the people you are marketing to.  It takes research to target that exact segment of the population in order to get a positive response from those you are addressing. It has to be designed and executed with that in mind. 

Without taking those preliminary steps, you are likely to be wasting time and dollars.  Here is an example of what we would refer to as marketing madness or what were they thinking?  

Pictured above is a marketing piece that I received this Saturday.  Just one look, and I was ready to toss it in the shredder without opening it.  My second reaction was to take a photo and write a post.  And now it has been shredded.

The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.

Peter Drucker

Branding Moment: Does This Brand Resonate with You ?

We spotted this delivery truck not long ago at the Santa Barbara harbor. The look was interesting and the message intriguing. “To the misfits, black sheep and skrewballs.”

The dictionary defines “screwball” as: “an eccentric, impulsively whimsical, or irrational person” which may explain the use of the letter “K” in its spelling.. Black sheep is defined as:: ”the outcast of the family because they choose to do other things than live up to their parents' standards”. Misfits “ refer to those who are unable to adjust to one's environment or circumstances or are considered to be awkwardly different from others.”.

Does this brand resonate with you?

Branding Moment: A Remarkable Brand Presentation via Zoom!

Being at the top of your game in the realm of marketing luxury products or services requires being consistently remarkable, especially with your presentation materials.  To stand out everything you present must communicate your core identity, be congruency and fully engage your your target market. Here is an example:

Pictured above is the invitation to a zoom meeting by Dom Pérignon’s Chef de Cave (Cellar Master and Head Winemaker). This package was sent just to Private Clients of Dom Pérignon who were invited to this exclusive tasting event. A bottle of 2010 Champagne was rated with 100 points by wine experts and two glasses were part of this box.. This included the instructions for the meeting.

Brand Story: Telling Your Brand Story From Three Perspectives

In the art of marketing YOU or your business, we like to emphasize that telling your story should have three perspectives: Stories of LOVE, stories to INSPIRE, and stories of SOUL.  If we were to tell the story of the beach/ocean we love, here is one way we would say it.  Pictured above is a view of the ocean and the sea wall that protects the homes above it from the winter high tides.

The next photo is of the colors of boulders in the sea wall which also illustrates the power of the ocean as it lodges large pieces of driftwood between the boulders. From our viewpoint, it INSPIRES the appreciation of Nature's artistic hand.

The picture above represents the SOUL of the ocean. The ocean waves and winds carved a pool in the rock. That tiny pool that is generating new life. Mussels are growing, along with sea moss and other shells.  

A well told brand story from these three perspectives creates an instantaneous bond between you/your company and your intended target market. They can relate to you because your story resonates witth their perspectives.

Does your brand tell a story?

Branding Moment: Do You Need a Brand?

Do you need a brand for your luxury real estate marketing business?  You need a brand if you are in pursuit of market leadership in your chosen niche. A clearly articulated brand facilitates referrals and decision-making on both sides (sellers/buyers) of the real estate game. 

Like it or not, we are branded from the moment we are born.  We are branded by gender. Brands are labels; they are a shortcut and a time saver for the mind.  They are so obvious that we take them for granted. They become invisible. 

The moment we look at someone, our mind’s computer begins to assess and pigeonhole. The more we are pressed for time the more we rely on snap judgments.  

With products and services, once we pigeonhole a product or service in a category we equate the category and the brand. And, we only have room for a few products or services in each category, at least from the standpoint of being able to readily recall the brand name. The goal of branding is to achieve top-of-mind status in that short list of products or services within any given category.

To stand out and reach the top of the list you have to make it easy for others to communicate about your brand to others.  That is the challenge of branding. It is all about making a compelling case to be at the top of the mental list, in your category, for your target market.  If they are convinced that you should be at the top of their list, you must empower them to convince others.

Think of a brand that you like.  What would you tell someone about it?  How did that brand get to the top of your list? Getting to the point where one wants to refer you requires a continuous strategy and marketing plan that secures your brand recognition and your dominance in the marketplace. 

Do You Need a Brand?

Savvy Marketing: Creative, Eye Catching, & A Win-Win Solution!

Pictured above is the front side of an 8 1/2" by 11" postcard.  We received this card from the Rubicon Theatre Company who due to our present health crisis cannot resume live theatre.  We loved their creative solution.  The Ventura County Fairgrounds which also canceled their annual event has become the Rubicon Theatre's stage for plays, and musical performances.

Rubicon Goes Retro is their theme for their Summer Season.  What is meant by that is we the people, who are mandated to social distance can enjoy live theatre and concert series. From the safety of our cars, we can enjoy 75 minute concerts presented on an elevated stage.  Here is the exact excerpt from their website,

Think Drive-In Movie Meets Live Concert

Every couple of weeks, we’ll offer a 75-minute concert in the parking lot at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Drivers will park in every other space to ensure plenty of safe distance between cars. Concerts are presented on an elevated stage with a live video feed to large screens. Gates open at 6:30 p.m.; be sure to pack a picnic or pick up a meal from your favorite local restaurant. We start at 8:00 p.m. – around sunset – so you can enjoy the lighting effects and multimedia, and sound is broadcast through an FM frequency.

This is creative and eye catching marketing.  The Win-Win is the best part of the story.  The Ventura Fairgrounds will have an income for the summer, the audience will have live entertainment, where they can actually go somewhere (canoodle in the car), and the performers will be able to do what they love to do and earn money.

We salute the Rubicon Theatre Company for their creative solution.  As Albert Einstein said, "Creativity is contagious, pass it on!"  And we just did to all of you!

Branding Moment: Chocolate & Zucchini!

One way of coming up with a brand name is to describe what you do is to find a way that cleverly expresses one's range of services and products.  Here is an example of this concept in branding:

In her Alphabet mysteries, Sue Grafton immortalized Santa Barbara (Santa Theresa) with her ace detective heroine, Kinsey Mullhone. She planned to write the series ending with Z, and sadly passed away in 2017.  Her first book was A for Alibi, and her last book was Y for Yesterday.  Rumor has it that Z was for Zero....The Alphabet concept was a great brand.  When you heard the words, Alphabet mysteries, that was synonymous with Sue Grafton, who prior to writing books was a script writer in Hollywood.

Years ago, when we were doing research on the idea of blogging, we came upon this odd name for a blog, "Chocolate & Zucchini".  The tag line accompanying it, is, "Simple recipes from my Paris kitchen."  It illustrated perfectly who the author was and her reasons for blogging.

In the words of the author, Clotilde Dusoulier, when asked Why Chocolate & Zucchini? 

It is a good metaphor for my cooking style: the zucchini illustrates my focus on healthy and natural foods: fresh produce, artisanal goods, organic and local ingredients. And the chocolate represents my decidedly marked taste for desserts in general, and chocolate in particular. I even belong to a French chocolate tasting society". 

Clotilde left the Bay area (San Francisco working in tech) to pursue her dreams of becoming a food writer, and moved back to her native France. She accomplished  her dream by writing her blog for 17 years, and writing for a variety of food publications.. In our opinion, this is a wonderful brand!

Branding Moment: Developing Your Brand Story

WATCH THE VIDEO / VIEW THE WEBSITE

The key to developing your brand story is answering the following questions:

1. Who is your ideal target market?

2. What is your extraordinary promise of value?

3. How are you different and better than your competition?

This applies to all professional practices and companies. Watch the video case story above.

“Thank you Napa Consultants, Int’l for bringing the unique promise of value of our entrepreneurial coaching firm into sharp focus and completely refreshing our brand. I appreciate your professionalism and your patience. I love our new website.”

— Patty DeDominic, Owner -DeDominic & Associates, Inc

Branding Moment: Should You Use Your Name As Your Brand?

Coco Chanel 1928 

Should use your name as your personal brand in all branches of  real estate marketing?  The best test to determine this is to ask yourself, “Am Iready to achieve celebrity status in my marketplace?”  If you are prepared to have your name stand for a particular market niche that you can dominate, we say, “Go for it!”

Think of some of the most recognizable personal brands:  Seal, Sting, Cher, Oprah, Ellen, Coco.  What category of celebrity comes to mind for each? 

Chanel to this day remains as one of the most famous fashion design houses. Some of the original and iconic styles (shoes, purses, suit styles) that Coco created remain part of the line to this day in 2020.  Although there have been numerous knockoffs, they pale next to the original. She was the master of what she termed "expensive simplicity."  She wanted her clothes and her design to stand out with their impeccable standards.

The company founder, Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel, was one of the most highly recognized personal brands in her time. In fact, she was the only person to be named in the field of fashion on the Time [Magazine] Top 100: The Most Important People of the [20th] Century.  

Clearly, Coco enjoyed top-of-mind status in the field of high fashion as a personal brand, a status that extends to the company brand as well, to this day.  Top-of-mind is the goal of any real estate marketing professional  aiming for market leadership and celebrity status. 

Are you ready for celebrity status in your luxury or any other real estate marketplace? If not, you might want to consider a different tact when approaching your personal branding, other than using your name as your brand.  

Branding Moment: Remarkable Packaging Makes A Business Stand Out & Memorable!!

In our never ending passion pursuit of discovering new  dark chocolate, we found the Tcho brand.  Someone decided to think outside the box and shaped in to a rhomboid.  A rhomboid is a parallelogram with no right angles and unequal sides.

The chocolate bar is square shaped.  It fits snugly with it companions leaning against each other in the box on the square side (short side).

Here is a picture of our latest favorite discovery.  We were equally impressed with the chocolate as with the branding and packaging.  And all their chocolate bars are square.  For those of you who like different percentages of chocolate, Tcho.com has an incredible assortment of bars.

Remarkable packaging makes a business or an individual stand out. It also makes that business or individual memorable.

Branding Moment: How to Stretch Your Marketing Dollars!

There is no doubt that a well created brand does not need to outspend the competition to market themselves, if they understand what branding really is. So many mistake a logo or color as a brand they can identify with. These just represent the harmonious aesthetics, rather than the heart of a brand.

The aim of branding for real estate agents, companies and all other professions is to communicate in an instant, the essence of the brand's personality, the core values of the brand, and why someone should do business with this brand instead of your competition.

Successful communication occurs when the ideal clients recognize that your brand represents someone they can trust. Your clients/target market can easily convey to others why they chose your brand for the job in a few words.

If you get the message right you can spark word-of-mouth advertising or buzz marketing which is the best way to stretch your marketing dollar. The right message triggers an emotional response by quickly establishing your professionalism and your likability. 

It also compels people to do business with you because it transmits your unique selling proposition, your promise of value to them, in a nutshell. The ultimate message gets people talking about you, and sending you business.

Marketing Savvy: The Importance of Marketing Perspective!

In answering a question as to whether or not to discontinue marketing for the time being in the face of collective global adversity, we said yes, continue marketing.  

However, this is the time to review, reassess and rethink your marketing.  You cannot continue what you have been doing.  We have always said that marketing is a fluid act in motion that must be in harmony with the current climate which requires perspective--in other words encompassing a 360 degree view of the present.

Recently everyone has received emails and postcards from those vendors want your business.  We have deleted the majority of the emails from companies whose marketing/ad companies have not bothered to analyze how to approach a new situation.  Here is one guideline.

Do not tout your brilliance and accomplishments as a means of marketing yourself!  It may brand you as someone who has no heart to the person who receives your victorious postcard!   Here is an example:

One of those emails that we read was from an airline touting its work in helping re-patriate US citizens who happened to be overseas at this time.  Their CEO was complimenting the company for its efforts of maintaining its scheduled flights and good citizenship, and dedication to American citizens in the face of the global issues that everyone is facing.  

When I read this, I was delighted because my niece was confirmed on one of those flights home.  A few hours later, she texted us to let us know that this airline had cancelled its flight from South East Asia. Make sure that what you are saying is the truth, nothing but the truth...Fortunately, our niece is a savvy traveler and for the moment is staying put in a safe place free of the spread of the virus.

Stop referring to the virus in the headlines of your posts, articles or printed materials.  At this point it is the most overused keyword by everyone which includes the media.  Just because it has a high ranking place on Google, squeezing this Google Juice causes more fear and pain and stress for everyone who glances at these headlines.  Here are two examples:

One of the luxury sites I subscribed to lauded in gleeful terms how some of the luxury brands were creating masks to match their Spring outfits. This was their way to stand out at the Spring fashion shows. It was creative, no doubt about that...but I would not have applauded this at all.  

One of our formerly respected publications has a weekend column with interesting articles on tech and lifestyle.  We have since unsubscribed to that feed as it became another Google ranking opportunist, with every article headlining the virus.

The rule of successful marketing is at all times being aware of the perspective of your target market at this time in history,  Be kind, be compassionate, be carring.  Not one person needs the added burden of fear.  As Maya Angelou said:

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Spread the good news, and yes there are many good news in town, in the United States at large, and globally.  Here is one for you:  Did you know that drive-in movies are making a comeback world wide and in many cities in the United States and in the world.  If our town had one,  we would have sent a postcard to our sphere with these news.  We would also found a way to pay for the first 50 that responded to our postcard or email!

If your marketing budget is stretched, share the video of good news that Debb Janes EcoBroker and Bernie Stea JD shared in their post yesterday afternoon...

Market with perspective.  Be kind, caring and compassionate.

Marketing Savvy: Spring Cleaning and the Eiffel Tower!

Since many of the various real estate sectors have slowed down with the current global conditions, this a great time to do some spring cleaning, and take a look as to how you can improve or innovate your marketing.

We have been reviewing our website, removing broken links, updating our photo and our elevator video.  We bought a new elevator. This was a decision we made because the last frame of the video had a shot of the Eiffel tower.  The new elevator is the one you will see at the Eiffel tower!  We felt it made for a better video and demonstrated our attention to detail and congruency!

Happy Tuesday, Happy Spring Cleaning!

Happy St Patrick's Day: May the Best Day of Your Life...

"May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future."

"May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow. And may trouble avoid you wherever you go."

"May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back."

"For each petal on the shamrock, this brings a wish your way: Good health, good luck, and happiness for today and every day."

"May your troubles be less. And your blessings be more. And nothing but happiness come through your door."

Ron and I want to wish you the very best of days, and these Irish blessings expressed our sentiments beautifully. They apply to all of us regards of our nationality!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Ron & Alexandra