The Facebook page would feature real-time posts from the visiting family.
It would also aggregate additional posts created via Instagram and Twitter.
When asked about life in an Ashton Woods community, sales associates could send potential buyers to #NottingHillProject.
Each post would say more about living in one of their homes than any brochure or floor plan.
Be honest. Wouldn't you love to live here?
ASHTON WOODS HOMEBUILDERS
Ashton Woods builds luxury home communities in various locations throughout the South and Southwest.
They were looking for a partner to handle their digital and social media marketing, so we pitched a rather unique concept.
Instead of simply showing photos of their luxurious houses, we wanted potential buyers to know how it feels to live in them.
In other words, we wanted people to know what kind of home they'd be.
Our idea was to recruit families to live in a fully-furnished Ashton Woods model home for a week or two, and have them document their entire experience in real-time via social media. (Shown here is an example we created for their Notting Hill community.)
Once the family had finished their "test drive" of a home, Ashton Woods would have something far more useful than just a website or brochure. They'd have a collection of shareable content that clearly documented everything a potential buyer wanted to know: what it's like to live in an Ashton Woods home, what each specific community is like, how fun their neighborhoods are, and even why some of the builder's upgrades were worth the extra money. (Once you've experienced a shower the size of a small room, you can never go back.)
We didn't win the pitch, unfortunately. However, I remain convinced that having real people telling real stories about a product is the ideal way to market a brand in today's digital world.