Category: CRE Technology

While there are hundreds of creative agencies specializing in branding, design, web development, and marketing, there are only a few specialized commercial real estate marketing agencies that produce the quality of work necessary for this industry’s standard of professionalism.

Here’s our list of the best real estate marketing companies that have the depth of industry experience and expertise suited specifically for CRE firms.

inMotion Real Estate Media

inMotion Real Estate Media is a commercial real estate marketing company that provides a wide array of marketing and creative solutions to some of the world’s largest real estate companies.

Founded: 2006

Solutions: custom website development, graphic design, online marketing and video production.

Sample clients: CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, JLL, Rockwood Capital, Lincoln Property Company,  Marcus & Millichap, NKGF, The Dilweg Companies, Fischer, Lewis Retail

Website: inmotionrealestate.com

Neoscape

Neoscape is a creative studio with offices in Boston, New York and San Fransisco that has been crafting branded experiences of built environments for discerning clients around the world.

Founded: 1995

Solutions: branding, strategy, design, visual Identity, web & mobile app development, 3D visualization, film & video, animation, photography, VR/AR/MR and interactive experiences

Sample clients: Brookfield Properties, Robert A. M. Stern Architects,  Elkus Manfredi Architects, Gensler, Tishman Speyer, Related

Website: neoscape.com

The Seventh Art

The Seventh Art is a digital communications agency specializing in the branding of upscale lifestyle offerings, including real estate, hospitality, design, culture, travel and bespoke products.

Founded: 2003

Solutions: market research, brand strategy, brochures, e-mail blasts, web design, renderings, floor plans, film and social media

Sample clients: Christie’s, Colliers, Corcoran, The Durst Organization, Goldman Sachs, Halstead Properties, Hines, The JGB Companies, Tishman Speyer, Vornado

Website:  theseventhart.com

REA

REA is a brand and marketing agency based in Washington and New York.

Solutions: real estate marketing, corporate branding, property branding, interactive and web development, rendering and animation, leasing and sales environments, video and short films, and media strategy

Sample clients: Hines, Madison Realty Capital, Thor Equities, Equity Office, East End Capital, JBG Smith Properties, Normandy Real Estate Partners, RXR

Website: realestatearts.com

DBOX

DBOX is a creative communications agency based out of London, Miami and New York, operating in residential, commercial, hospitality, destination, and cultural sectors.

Founded: 1996

Solutions: market intelligence, positioning and brand identity, communications strategy, graphic and environmental design, print and digital advertising, computer generated imagery and animation, virtual reality applications, photography & film production, mobile and social media marketing, web and interactive design, branded sales and leasing experiences

Sample clients: Hines, HFZ, Ivanhoe Cambridge, Macklowe Properties, Oxford Properties, The Peebles Corporation, Phoenix Property, Swire Properties, Witkoff, Woodridge Capital

Website: dbox.com

Visualhouse

Visualhouse is a creative agency focused on creating compelling brand stories for architecture, design and the built environment with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Miami and San Francisco.

Founded: 2008

Solutions: strategy, 3D visualization, still imagery, film, animation, branding, graphic design, photography, web development, immersive imagery

Sample clients: Related Companies, The Howard Hughes Corporation, Extell Development, Townscape Partners, Two Trees Management, L & L Holdings, Gale International, Magellan Development Group, Brookfield Properties

Website: visualhouse.co

Unless you’ve been trapped in an Internet vacuum for the past three months or so, then it’s extremely unlikely that you’ve not seen at least a dozen articles about Pokemon Go.

This is because Pokemon Go is everywhere you browse. Go to a news site: there’s always news about Pokemon Go and now here’s a high-brow opinion piece; visit the official website out of curiosity, prepare to be pursued by Pokemon Go ads (almost like you’re the Pokemon); scan your social media accounts and someone, somewhere, will have something to say about Pokemon Go – or a rare Pokemon to show-off.

In short, Pokemon Go is a phenomenon. And from this phenomenon there are quite a few things to learn about augmented reality and marketing – especially in sectors like commercial real estate where it’s been tipped as ‘the future’, or just a part of the future.

Now the dust has settled, just a bit, here are 4 key things to take from it all…

1. The Technology is Here

It takes a technological turning point to fuel the full-on phenomenality of an experience like Pokemon Go.

The combination of universal smartphone ownership; powerful processors, and easy access to the Internet has led to the enormous number of downloads (so far nearly 100million) and the accessibility of the app / game.

And when it comes to the game itself – there are some pretty clever ideas that have been realised with tech, such as GPS. Legendary Pokemon (like the mythical Mew) are set to only be released at public events. And you won’t find certain types of Pokemon outside of their suitable habitats: you’d be naïve to expect an encounter with a whale-esque Wailmer in a Walmart (rather than by the water) for example.

Some Pokemon are even endemic to certain countries.

So it could be argued that what we’re seeing is the tip of a paradigm shift. If augmented reality can work this well, so in tune with the real world, and become so popular and accessible, then the technological backdrop is in place for augmented reality to really step up and become mainstream.

What to take away:

There are already a few (basic) augmented reality apps: Zoopla has a longstanding app for iPhone and Android that has incorporated AR elements to display property prices on the move. And SnapShop Showroom, shown below, uses augmented reality so that buyers can visualize how an empty office or home space could look.

But now the technology is slotting into place, especially on the user side, more immersive apps could appear on an upward (and outward) trajectory. 3D renderings could rise from property magazines; you could point your smartphone (or wearable device) at a developing building and essentially see the future; augmented reality could even be mixed with other tech, like holographic projections or virtual reality, to create barely-imaginable immersive possibilities.

2. Augmented Reality = PR

Pokemon, smartphones, and augmented reality have fused to almost break the Internet.

It would be loose to say that augmented reality and commercial real estate marketing could erupt in the same way. But you can extrapolate from the sheer volume of coverage, backlinks, shares, comments etc. to reason that augment reality is big, interesting, impactful news.

The information overload speaks for itself, but here’s data from Google Trends of the bombardment of news coverage since the game was released on the 6^th of July, compared to related trends like ‘virtual reality’ and ‘augmented reality’.

Without Pokemon Go

With Pokemon Go

Where did the other two go? And if you compare against universal topics like ‘travel’ and ‘vacations’ then that towering wall of publicity is still there.

What to take away:

If you’re in marketing or PR – or even if you’re developing an augmented reality app – then you could take advantage of the surge of interest (and experimentation) in augmented reality that Pokemon Go has stimulated.

Or if you’re involved in other immersive technologies, like virtual reality, holograms or projections – the same goes: it’s a good time to be involved or just to be part of the scene.

3. New Local Amenities

Exploration is central to Pokemon Go – it’s an exciting part of the game and key to its potential. Friends, acquaintances, or just unrelated groups of players, can group together and go hunting for treasure (rare Pokemon).

This appeal is pretty clear. However, what’s less predictable is that landmarks, areas and neighborhoods have become mass gathering spots due to their special status in the game, or their close proximity to PokeStops, rare Pokemon etc.

So it follows that commercial real estate sellers could begin to use a property’s prominence, from a Pokemon perspective, as a selling point to brokers and investors (and ultimately tenants) – at least if the game continues on its mighty cultural-curve.

What to take away:

Putting together a map of local amenities and facilities? Could a PokeStop go on it alongside information on transport links? This seems like a strange question but these are strange days when even churches are welcoming players in.

Sharplaunch’s Amenities Map, with PokeStop on the far right:

The answer’s debatable. Productivity’s a concern but safety is too: people have been having bad accidents because of the distractions  and a man was recently incarcerated in Indonesia after hunting for Pokemon at a top-secret military base.

4. Don’t Expect too Much, Too Soon

More than just a counterpoint to point 1, if you’ve taken the time to get out and play Pokemon Go, there’s a fair chance you can vouch for the lukewarm ‘augmented reality’ experience that the game actually offers.

Led along by the hype, you expected the game to seamlessly blend reality and Pokemon – to lead you into a parallel universe where fantastic creatures are alive in your lounge and on your streets; hiding under your car, on your sofa, on top of the dog.

Instead, some randomly-generated Pokemon are superimposed above whatever your smartphone happens to be pointed at. They’re not showing intelligence or awareness, nor interacting with objects or terrain, and it’s a bit of a let-down. Parts of the press would agree.

Frequent crashes and technical issues also blighted the early release of the game and continue to create huge problems (and fury). And let’s not forget that augmented reality is only so immersive when you’ve got to wave a smartphone around in the air to make things happen. In the meantime, more intuitive wearables like Google Glass are still quite a way off.

What to take away:

Augmented reality, and other immersive technologies, could turn commercial real estate marketing (and marketing in general) on its head.

But it’s fair to say there will be a lot of incremental testing and probing before then. If a Jigglypuff Pokemon can’t appear so convincingly – without challenges, crashes and clunky visuals – then perhaps the incredible end of the augmented reality spectrum isn’t set to appear so suddenly either.

Expect bugs, false starts, glitches and crashes along the way. Marketers and developers should beware of a token, fundamentally broken nod to these new technologies that does more harm than good.

Have you hunted?

Is it all a fad? Are augmented reality and other immersive technologies the future in real estate marketing (or just marketing in general)? Have you caught a Rare Snorlax Pokemon yet!?

Let us know in the comments.

More Links

• http://crowdcomfort.com/benefits-augemented-virtual-reality-real-estate/
• http://www.leadgalaxy.com/is-augmented-reality-the-future-for-real-estate/
• http://www.builderonline.com/newsletter/pokemon-go-is-one-of-the-hottest-new-real-estate-selling-points_s
• http://identitypr.com/real-estate/the-pokemon-go-playbook-for-retail-real-estate-and-mixed-use-centers/

Until now CRE professionals could rely on ListingLab to build, manage, and control their own property websites with their easy to use management interface.

With the service shutting down in early 2022, CRE teams will have to look to alternatives to continue benefiting from streamlined property marketing and deal management.

There are a few alternatives to ListingLab available, some of which offer much more control over how listings look and behave.

Let’s take a look at the current benefits ListingLab provides to CRE teams and which tools could serve as an equivalent or better alternative.

ListingLab Benefits

ListingLab offers a self-service custom website builder that includes individual URL addresses for listings, secure portals for document sharing, and reporting.

Each listing page had its own custom URL (hosted in listinglab.com) including relevant property information and visuals, along with a secure portal offering a private area to create, manage, and process confidentiality agreements and deal documentation.

To build a property site, users can choose a template and customize it with their copy, images, and photography.

 

ListingLab also provides a listing inventory plugin to display all your property listings in a map or list view.

There are a few available filters by location, property type and unit numbers.

Each listing links out to the individual listing page.

Alternatives to ListingLab

Today, there are several other options available in the market for brokers and owners looking for modern looking websites and a streamlined deal management process.

1. Custom developed solution

With a customized developed listing and deal management solution, the sky is the limit.

A web design agency that specializes in commercial real estate sites can create custom property websites and listing engine for a set fee that can range substantially depending on the requirements.

Another option is to hire in-house web developers and designers on a contract or permanent basis. This can grant more flexibility, control, and speed over all digital endeavors. However, this route represents a longer-term investment, so must be carefully planned with the rest of the digital marketing strategy, particularly as it can be much more costly and time consuming.

The biggest downsides of a custom solution to consider:

❌   Takes months to develop
Building custom solutions is a time-consuming process. You could be looking several quarters into the future before you even have a beta product to use. If you’re in need of something sooner rather than later, this isn’t ideal.

❌   Costly implementation fees
Outsourcing software development to a web agency may mean you get a custom product, but it’s also an expensive endeavour.

❌   Manual maintenance
Every website and app needs maintenance. A custom solution means you need to pay someone to maintain that software on a regular basis.

Example: grid display

Examples of SharpLaunch deal room

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can display your listings on your website, get in touch!