Common Vision Can Connect Condos with Buyers
By Blaine J. Weber AIA
Weber + Thompson
as published in Puget Sound Business Journal
Residential Real Estate Quarterly
November 8, 2002
Marrying design and marketing helps developers create meaningful living spaces
The conventional high-rise condominium design process is conducted with a concerted effort to keep marketing professionals at arms length – until late in the design process – when most crucial design decisions have already been cast in stone.
From the designer's vantage point, those pesky marketing types usually arrive with an agenda that is at odds with a carefully crafted design vision. Coming late to the party, marketers can send a project into a tailspin, creating delays, costly redesign and frustration that result from designers and marketers moving in opposite directions.
News flash to those of us in the high-rise residential design community: the real problem is NOT with the marketers; it is that our design process is not grounded on solid marketing principles. For a residential project to be successful in today's demanding marketplace, the architect and interior designer must integrate the science of marketing into the early stages of the design process. When market strategists, graphic designers and the advertising and sales teams are included in the design team from the start, design becomes a strategic weapon for building the project's brand, for creating spaces and places that have an emotional connection to the end user, and for improving the quality of the overall design product.
Project Vision
A clear project vision based on good design principals is vital to the success of any development. Keeping that vision in sync with the brand and market strategy gives all members of the team, both designers and marketers, a road map for guiding the design and setting the tone and quality of the project.
Market Research
Market research is vital in order to determine demand for the product. Potential buyers are profiled in great detail, from psychographic, demographic and lifestyle vantage points in order to ascertain the needs and emotional cues and triggers for each group. Today's consumers know what they want – it is up to the design/marketing team to discover what that is by getting deep inside the heads of the buyers. This is essential to create meaningful living spaces and lifestyle places that connect with the buyer.
Market Strategy
Branding is about defining and communicating the identity and essence of a product or project – this is your brand. It is important that the design and marketing team collaborate to create memorable and rewarding experiences that connect with the buyer. Experience has now become a key value differentiator, since customers now view price, quality and service as standard requirements – this defines the success of Starbucks and it works for residential projects as well.
While to most business types the integrated design process might sound logical and seems to make good business sense, it is offensive to many talented designers, especially those who fear the proverbial "design by committee." However, those designers who learn to re-think their process by integrating the art of design with the science of marketing in a strategic and thoughtful process will enjoy the following advantages for their clients, their own team and for the end users.
The Client
From the client's perspective all members of the design/marketing team are on the same page from the start, working to achieve a shared vision that is success-oriented. The design vision is virtually illustrated using sophisticated 3-D visualization software as the design evolves. This affords the client a crystal clear idea of what the finished product will look like prior to making final commitments. Ultimately, the net result is that products sell more effectively, profits are boosted, and consumers identify and connect with the brand.
The Designer
From the designer's vantage point, achieving an innovative design vision and managing results is much easier. The client is more readily persuaded to embrace innovation – leading to cutting-edge, fresh design – because the client can visualize demonstrable payback based on solid marketing input. A shared vision between the design and marketing parts of the team – all of who are working toward success in the marketplace – keeps the process moving forward with less of the redesign that often results from the more conventional and autonomous approach to design.
The Consumer
From the consumer side, the product is more appealing and satisfying because the design connects philosophically and physically to their values and lifestyle needs. When design is based on psychographic buyer profiles, there is a bond between product and buyer – an immediate connection through an emotional appeal that speaks to a particular lifestyle philosophy. This approach also results in a more pleasurable buying experience.
The deliberately planned intersection and cross-pollination of design and marketing disciplines creates a platform for success. The design team has the benefit of market science that is the foundation of the design from square one, so the finished project is both pleasing and lifestyle-responsive. Marketing – instead of being limited to the window dressing at the end of the process – becomes a respected member of the project team, fully engaged in the design process and able to influence and shape the design for optimal market positioning.
When executed in a design/marketing collaboration, design can be a powerful strategic weapon, enabling better project positioning, more effective branding and the creation of spaces and places that have an emotional connection to the end user.
About the author:
BLAINE J. WEBER AIA, is a founding principal of Weber + Thompson, a full-service West Coast design agency specializing in architecture, interior design, planning, landscape architecture and branded environments. To contact Mr. Weber, please email him at bweber@weberthompson.com.