Marketing Spotlight: Charlotte's Asterisk Creative Rebrands Regional Realtor and Launches New Website
In late 2004, realtors Lori and Kenny Fuqua hired Charlotte, NC marketing company Asterisk Creative to name their new real estate venture and design its branding, marketing strategy and website. The following details the creative process and strategy behind the work.
(PRWEB) June 28, 2005 -- Lori and Kenny Fuqua already had 8 years of success,
selling over 250 homes in the Charlotte area as agents with Helen Adams Realty.
In late 2004, they hired Charlotte marketing firm Asterisk Creative to create a
new company brand to work with their existing association with Helen Adams. The
following details the creative process and strategy behind the
work.
Naming, Brand Identity and Tagline
Asterisk Creative started
with naming the Fuqua’s new venture. Most realtors and realty companies adhere
to the standard “‘insert name here’ Realty” technique. "We wanted to go with
something more distinct and memorable", says Asterisk Creative partner Rick
Oppedisano. "The result was Fuqua Fine Southern Homes, a name we felt reflected
distinction and the quality residences Kenny and Lori sold."
The logo
places emphasis on another memorable element of the name: the “Q” in Fuqua. The
"Q" was drawn out as an element, giving it a look reminiscent to a magnifying
glass, and used the tagline, “Look No Further”. “Finding a home can be an
exhaustive process for some people”, explains Asterisk Creative Art Director Rob
McCaskill, “They look for realtors, homes, and advice. The magnifying glass and
tagline reflect the cycle of that search process, as it ends with the
Fuquas.”
Asterisk Creative's final challenge was to create synergy
between the Fuqua’s new brand and the existing Helen Adams brand. The tagline’s
friendly but astute tone rang similar to the tone of the Adams brand, and the
color palette was chosen to support the Adams brand’s colors. This was important
since both logos were featured on the Fuqua Fine Southern Homes business cards
and website.
Imagery and Collateral
The Fuqua’s wanted their brand to
be unique and uncompromised by imagery that may have been created for a whole
other purpose. Asterisk Creative shot all imagery in-house to create a visual
language that matched the Fuqua’s values of “high-touch” personal attention.
Having a photography team is in-house as opposed to outsourcing eliminates
miscommunication between teams and ensures that the concepts, images, and copy
convey a unified message.
When our attention turned to the collateral, a
close eye was kept on affordability and flexibility. No two Fuqua prospects are
the same, nor would they be approached as such. Asterisk Creative addressed this
issue by creating professionally printed folders which contain PDF inserts that
can be selected and printed in accordance to each prospect’s needs, and a series
of direct mail templates to be utilized as needed. This technique is a
cost-effective way to create targeted marketing
collateral.
Website:
The Fuqua Fine Southern Homes website (www.fuquarealestate.com) addresses specific goals of unique
design, strong usability and focused, well-organized content. Visitors can view
the Fuqua’s listings and learn about the Home Buying and Selling processes. They
can peruse the Recommended Resources section, which offers contact info for
every home need, from electricians to landscapers.
Interaction with these
value propositions engages the prospect, allowing website to become a
lead-generating hub and a valuable information source to the consumer.
Next was making sure the site was visible on search engines. This was a
key area in the Fuqua's internet marketing strategy. Asterisk Creative optimized
the site with search-engine friendly code. Website copy was written to be
“keyword dense”, a technique ensuring website text contains the terminology
entered into search engines by users looking for a meeting facility.
Keyword-dense copy increases the likelihood of the website being recognized by
Google, Yahoo, or MSN.
The Results
"The name of the game in real
estate is brand recognition and even more important than that is what it says
about you and your company", says Kenny Fuqua. "The custom materials and brand
design makes an immediate impact with our clients in regards to their decision
on who they are going to hire too sell their current home and locate their new
home. With the newly created pieces and website we are able to quickly
differentiate ourselves from the thousands of real estate agents in Charlotte
and the surrounding areas."
"We can not say enough about the impact that
they have had on our business and to think that we just launched a few months
ago. We would not hesitate to recommend Asterisk Creative, Inc. to any company
looking to hire an organization to produce some of the most cutting edge
corporate branding on the market.”
Founded in 2001, Asterisk Creative has
more than 60 clients in the Charlotte area, including HRAmerica, the Charlotte
Chamber, the Charlotte Bobcats and Verbatim. Visit our website to learn more
about our company and clients:
http://www.asteriskcreative.com
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb233098.htm