Track2Realty Survey: The question is what shapes public perception as far as brand premium of a real estate company is concerned? User experience and word of mouth publicity is what matters to them and advertising is nothing more than a medium to know about the new launches.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The opening up of retail in multi-brand and single brand is likely to push up the demand for more space throughout the country. On a rough estimate, this sub-segment needs, over the next few years, close to 20 million sq feet of space, which have to be built in accordance with the international standards.
Track2Realty Exclusive: In one of the classic example, one of the advertising agency recently came out with a creative idea of suggesting the name of the project as 1947. The spacious luxury flat’s advertising was suggested to be played around the concept of freedom—from space crunch, parking mess, traffic snarls etc. with the tag line “when every lips had one word freedom this apartment was conceptualised”. Result: the agency was asked to get out of the hangover of being ‘creative’ or leave.
Track2Realty Survey: 70 per cent of the Indians who have either bought a house or are planning to buy believe brand reputation only amounts to the developers’ past projects. More than that, 78 per cent maintain the track record of timely delivery of the project is the best way to judge the developers’ brand.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Isn’t it ironical that the second largest advertiser in the Indian media space is not attracting the best of creative talent and seen as stale and repetitive in the collective consciousness?
Track2Realty-Agencies: Seeking to attract real estate investors to the capital market, SEBI has revived an over five-year old proposal to allow listing and trading of REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) as an investment product.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Marketing head of a leading real estate company admits that sex is here to stay in advertising but there is a fine line, and all too often these days brands are stepping way over the line. However, if you are advertising a male deodorant or lingerie, you would be a fool to overlook such a strong selling mechanism.
Track2Realty Exclusive: There is also the question of whether sex actually is effective as ads with a little less skin and a little more elegance. While sex sells the same things that other images of wealth and control do, it triggers a lot more reaction, both positive and negative.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Why the US investors are shying away from investing in India? Primarily, it is the fear of change in policy as they had experienced in the past. Lack of significant growth is also another factor that is working against their investment in the Indian realty stocks.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Call it controversial, blame it to be provocative or just dismiss it against the ethos of prudish Indian culture, but sex has been the tried and tested mantra of selling in advertising. Real estate the world over has courted this formula not just with sexually inducive advertising but as a holistic mantra of marketing, even when the campaign has attracted widespread criticism.