Track2Realty Exclusive: Urbanisation is inevitable but when the very same model of development is rolled out haphazardly it also brings its side effects. Many urban cities across the country are witness to the fact with the loss of its traditional old world charm and eventually the city losing its very identity.
Track2Realty Exclusive: We are the first to accept the influence of branding in our lives. Look at the watches we wear, the T shirts we adorn, and of course the cars we buy. Are our decisions not highly influenced by the ‘ brand name ‘? Indeed, it is. Marketing has begun to play an important role in the decision making process of consumers, especially in urban metropolis areas. Moreover this phenomenon is spreading rapidly to the tier II and tier III cities of India as well.
Track2Realty Exclusive: As a brand management professional, I am often asked as to which industry in India needs branding the most. Without any second thoughts, my answer is real estate. Prima facie that may sound very counterintuitive as real estate is after all a big advertising spender.
Track2Realty: Sobha Developers, on a consolidated basis, registered a turnover of Rs. 10.08 Billion during the first half of FY 2013-14. The Profit before Tax (PBT) stood at Rs. 1.71 Billion, and the Profit after Tax (PAT) was Rs. 1.07 Billion. On a year-on-year basis, Revenues have increased by 18%, PBT by 21% and PAT by 12% from its operations.
Track2Realty Exclusive: A Delhi-based brand strategist says property exhibitions are more about BTL (Below the Line) brand positioning. Requesting anonymity, he maintains that footfalls are not necessarily translated into actual buying. Even the sales figure that developers so glorify out of the property fest is, more often than not, accumulative sales figure of the given period.
Track2Realty Exclusive: It is generally believed in the sector that CSR can not be a brand driver the way other branding efforts are being evaluated in terms of ROI. Diipesh Bhagtani, Executive Director, Jaycee Homes, says that CSR alone cannot be the catalyst for brand building; there is no case study as such. CSR is seen more as a responsibility towards the society rather than a business promotion activity.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a new concept in the Indian real estate and companies are going through the learning curve. Some are adopting it with greater amount of conviction, while for others it is an emerging necessary evil.
Track2Realty Exclusive: A section of developers are not in favour of experimenting with the advertisements as this may have negative effect. According to Diipesh Bhagtani Executive Director, Jaycee Homes, ads have some components which are common and similar in all their creative. This helps us build, recognize and recollect the brand name. This also helps build and reinforce the brand identity.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Welcome to Ansaara Metro Park, a joint venture between Luxora Infrastructure and Aanya Group in one of the non-descript locations of Nagpur. Launched around three years back, it was projected to the media as Asia’s largest ‘Metro Park’. It has now proved to be a mere beating own trumpet for inviting journalists from Mumbai and Delhi.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Mumbaipedia concept has nothing to do with real estate projects or the company of the developer but aims at creating a mindspace amongst the target audience.