A growing number of property developers these days are shifting from traditional marketing tools of print and radio advertisements to innovative and unusual experiential activities. Real estate is no longer the space it used to be. It has evolved with time and demands of the buyers. Real estate marketers are trying their hands on exploring all possibilities to increase their visibility in a tangled marketplace as well as stimulate consumer interest.

Property dealers now focus on one-on-one interaction with the buyer with an understanding that the latter is a potential stake holder in the entire process. Providing an interactive experience of the property to the customer is what the realtors want to achieve. Despite being quite a contemporary concept in the realty sector, it is creating waves and is being widely accepted by marketers.

Iscon group, an eminent real estate developer from Gujarat launched Phase 2 of its flagship structure ‘Iscon Platinum’. It collaborated with GoBananas to execute an event to provide a valuable experience to its buyers. The event included spectacular shows and activities, one of which being the Kaleidoscopic Dance where 25 dancers showcased life and amenities at Iscon Platinum in a visual platform created by light designers.

The 12-storey building consisted of 48 balconies, with one musician being placed in each balcony, and every note of the musicians being synchronized with the movement of the lights. Speaking about the initiative, Nishit Shah, Director GoBananas said “We strive on innovation. We mapped the entire event in a way that it gives an insight to the customers about how their entire day would look like. Performing a 4D activity and a light, sound and live act harmonized together was a herculean task. I believe that in the present times, realtors are realizing that if they are able to communicate the live experience of their project to the desired target audience, then it will generate more ROI as compared to other traditional marketing methods.”

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Isn’t trying a product before buying, a great idea? So is the concept of ‘Trial Homes’ by Ashiana Housing.  Aimed at providing customers a direct experience of their projects is the motive behind the novel concept. Buying a house is a difficult task and it gets all the more complicated when it comes to senior citizens, who are the target buyers of Ashiana group. The trial apartments let consumers familiarize themselves with the lifestyle, facilities and ambience of a project before actually buying a property. Most developers let a specific number of trial apartments at a negligible amount for a fixed span of time. This is a splendid idea to provide the buyers with a firsthand experience of their potential house.

Realising the pith of consumer expectations, realtors are approaching spectacular ideas in the household domain. Another great experiential activity was conducted by Tata Housing called ‘Spain to Spain’ near Vadgaon. The campaign brought to life the Mediterranean lifestyle at the site and provided the visitors with a true cultural experience of Spain.

Crowd engaging activities like celebration of ‘La Tomatina’ festival with artificial tomatoes, flamenco dance art, bullfighting, and photography with ‘Spain’ themed cut-outs, were organized to attract the audience to enable them to experience a Spanish fiesta.

From painting walls to creating events, Tata Housing was and is an active player in the real estate space.

Trying something innovative and different is quite challenging, but it turned out to be fruitful for Advanced India Projects Limited (AIPL). AIPL lately announced a first of its kind collaboration with four Indian designers namely Tarun Tahiliani, Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla, JJ Valaya and Shantanu & Nikhil, inviting them to be design partners to Cattaro, - a 24-storey tower with 84 boutique homes where each home is infused with the designer’s specific design identity. AIPL has instilled the style and fashion by Abu-Sandeep, JJ Valaya and Shantanu-Nikhil in its spacious residences; whereas Tarun Tahiliani, contributing his expertise in the common areas.

Real estate sector has surely taken a leap with its innovative and experiential activities. It has set a new benchmark in the marketing space. Another citing initiative was by the 3C Company that collaborated with the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts to present northern India’s first Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences. At the launch of India’s first Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences, the event saw country’s four renowned fashion designers -Tarun Tahiliani, Rina Dhaka, Anamika Khanna and Rohit Bal showcasing their collections, which matched the characteristics of the Four Seasons and the status that the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts brand is known for. This collaboration clearly showed the expanse to which realtors are reaching out in terms of innovation.

Investing in the experiential space, real estate marketers are providing a fresh experience to its potential buyers. On-ground activities and collaborations have helped realtors to add value to their property eventually to help them drive their sales.