At White Space, the Property Marketing team are just as comfortable working with large multi-nationals like Crest Nicholson and Barratt Homes as they are with smaller, more bespoke developers like Highland, City & Country and Knight Developments; but a project that really epitomises their clear, concise and creative approach is their work for Savills on The Mill development located at Ipswich Waterfront.
The project came to them surrounded by negative press regarding the future of the development after the developers entered administration. White Space therefore suggested a campaign based around positive testimonials from successful businesses based in the area, as well as local residents and councillors.
Account Director, Will Wright, comments: “Rather than trying to rebrand The Mill, which, quite frankly, would have been an impossible task, we focused on promoting Ipswich Waterfront as a location, highlighting the link between The Waterfront and the town centre.”
The local councillors were key to getting the message across that The Waterfront was going to see further improvement and investment, and would become an even more aspirational place to live. They were asked to talk about how far The Waterfront had progressed in the last ten years and where they would like it to be in the next ten.
White Space created video testimonials, which they uploaded to a purpose-built website, and have also laid the groundwork for a Social Media promotion where the prize will be a 6-month stay at The Mill. ‘Life at The Mill’ is being advertised via town centre ads targeted at a specific audience, and has the backing of local radio stations and press – giving them something positive to report about The Mill.
The Mill was re-launched in November 2010 and of an initial 22 apartments, only four are currently left for sale.
Associate Director of Savills, Amanda Crichton, said: “With apartments selling at a rate of two a month, it won’t be long until the entire development is sold out. As you can imagine, we’re delighted with this dramatic turnaround.”
Will notes: “Our projects are successful because we never lose sight of the fact that snazzy execution cannot replace a strong message, or cover up a weak one. The marketing budget for The Mill was a fraction of what’s usually available for a development of this scope, but we were still able to achieve stunning results – offering fantastic value for money.”
White Space didn’t just rely on the traditional methods, such as press advertising, brochures and hoarding, to get the message across, they also integrated cutting-edge digital solutions, including a state-of-the-art website, online PR and Social Media.
Will concludes: “The Mill continues to be successful because our marketing campaign overcame the negative preconceptions held by potential buyers, while also promoting Ipswich Waterfront as an investment opportunity. We accomplished this with a combination of outstanding design work and intelligent PR, but getting the local media onside to present positive views on the development was equally important.”
To find out more about White Space, visit www.white-spaceproperty.com, call 01473 228811 or email will@white-spacedesign.com.
