Is PCI Group’s Marine Gateway project a sign of things to come?

We live in a city with amazing views and surroundings, and for years these natural wonders have affected the way we build, especially in the city.

Arguably, our approach to design is typically Canadian in fashion – noninvasive, polite and considerate even, but there are signs that this is changing. PCI Group’s 40-storey, 250-feet wide Gateway tower is a pretty big one.

An article in The Globe and Mail covers some of the initial reactions to this massive project, (they’re not particularly positive – surprise) but it’s the larger impact of this design that has me thinking.

Vancouver is a city of glass, narrow structures and relatively low buildings (in comparison to other industrial cities) for a good reason: We actually want to be able to see our stunning ocean and mountain views.

It’s nice, but, let’s face it, it presents challenges for the makings of a world-class city. If we want Vancouver to be a place that a growing population can live in and work in, the design and structure of buildings is going to have to change. So is the Marine Gateway project a sign of things to come?

Social is Changing the Media Mix

This video blog is a clip from an upcoming documentary about social media. The documentary is being produced by BBN3, and we’ll be sure to let you know when it is finished and available for viewing. Meanwhile, watch this video of Braun/Allison’s David Allison talking about the philosophy behind a good social media program, while simultaneously balancing an empty coffee cup in one hand. Enjoy.

Convincing the Old Boys that New Media makes sense

This is a duplicate post from David Allison’s column on RENX.ca, a Canadian Real Estate news website.

I’m in Toronto this week, and noticing some distinct differences between how real estate developers promote the homes they have for sale, compared to how things are done in Vancouver. But regardless of how you choose to promote your project, one thing is consistent. The buyers you are looking for are online. Are you?

“Research studies show that 9 out of 10 home buyers start their search online, even before contacting an agent,” says Matthew Slutsky, the man behind the popular Toronto/Vancouver/Calgary real estate development listing and map service called BuzzBuzzHome . “I first conceived of the idea for BuzzBuzzHome while working as VP Development for a Toronto land-developer/builder, and became frustrated with the lack of a publicly accessible online listing of all new residential developments,” he said to me over a cup of coffee last week. “So I quit my job and took a chance, and, well, it paid off. We have 35,000 visits a month now. And developers here are realizing the power of online to help sell homes.”

This mirrors our own experience at Braun/Allison Inc. for the real estate developers that we work with. Projects that combine traditional media channels along with online channels are finding a bigger audience, faster. And some of the results are startling. I’ve mentioned in this space before that we’ve had as much as 70% of our registrations for real estate projects come from Facebook advertising. And when we back up newspaper and outdoor with social media, blogs and online ads, we are able to find this sweet spot that makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts.

So what’s stopping the real estate development industry from embracing online channels wholeheartedly? Based on the conversations I’ve had here in Toronto this week, and my own experience in Vancouver and with projects all over the world, the answer is obvious. Age. The people running development companies are mostly older, and, while I am generalizing, they are scared of social media and most other online opportunities. Oh sure, they all realize they need a website. But start talking to them about web 2.0 or SEO or SEM or Social Media or any of the other tools we now have at our disposal, and they retreat back to the safety of what they know and understand. Print.

What’s an eager (younger) marketing director to do? How do you convince the old guard to take a chance and try something new? I have a couple of suggestions.

First, break it down into dollars and cents. Explain that for the cost of one full-page print ad you can launch an entire online program.

Next, spend your money wisely. While the most intriguing benefits of online advertising and social media are long-term, focus first on the immediate gratification angle. Use fast-result options like a gateway drug to get buy-in from the senior team. Facebook ads are an impressive and affordable option. So is BuzzBuzzHome. Start small with outlets like these, and gradually you’ll win them over.

Branding Lessons Are Everywhere

This is a duplicate post from David Allison’s blog on BC Business

Why is it that some brands do all the right things, but feel forced, while others do all the right things, and feel amazing? I don’t think there is one definitive answer to this question, but from time to time a case study presents itself that is remarkable and instructional.

I’ve been visiting Toronto recently, and staying in a little hotel called the Windsor Arms. It’s got the secret sauce that makes an amazing brand all figured out, and I’ve learned a ton of great things. This place isn’t the biggest, the flashiest, the most expensive, or the most luxurious hotel in the city. But there’s something going on here we can all learn from.

I’ve decided I’m going to stay here every time I come to Toronto. I’m in love with this brand. Why? Lots of little reasons that add up to some big impressions. I’m not sure if all these things happened on purpose, or accidentally. But the combination is a powerful one.

• A welcoming lobby, where you actually feel like you are at home.
• Staff who are helpful and happy.
• Rooms that are comfortable and understated; not trendy and cool.
• A good room service menu.
• A bright and spacious fitness room, with equipment from this year, not last decade.
• Free WiFi and movies.

Those are all things that many hotels can claim, and should be, as far as I am concerned, a cost of doing business in the hotel vertical. But it’s this next list of little touches that are the salt-and-pepper here; the stuff that makes this brand come alive.

• Heavy bridle leather “do not disturb” signs for the doorknobs, instead of those dreadful little plastic cards.
• Leather room service menu covers, notepad covers, desk blotter and etc. All worn to a nice patina, evidencing the guests who came before.
• A little butlers closet beside the door to your suite, accessible from within and without, so room service and laundry can be dropped off without staff entering your room.
• A good collection of Canadian Art.
• Cloth laundry bags.
• Chocolate chip cookies outside the fitness centre.
• Flattering lighting in all common areas, and a good reading light over the bed. You can also control all the room lights from bed, so you don’t have to walk around shutting lights off when it’s time to drift off to sleep.
• Silver salt and pepper shakers, nice cutlery, linens, and a formidable steel tray when room service arrives.

And so on.

Reading back over what I’ve just written it’s not coming across as well as I would like. But I think that inability to write down the exact recipe for this brand is one of the lessons here too.

It’s the big things done right, the little extras thought about with intelligence and grace, and the unplanned organic interplay of them all that make a brand shine.