Insights

infinitee client, Grand Boulevard at Sandestin®, wins the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Silver MAXI Award for Cause Related Marketing for its entry titled A Passion for Arts, Entertainment and Charity on Sunday, May 21, 2017.

Grand Boulevard with the help of agency partner, infinitee Communications, Inc., assigned a unique brand identity to the Coastal Culture Arts & Entertainment (A&E) program, separate from Grand Boulevard, in late 2014 as the banner under which large and smaller ongoing events would be offered at the 500,000+ SF mixed-use shopping center in Miramar Beach, Florida. To fund the A&E program, Grand Boulevard and infinitee strategized a fee structure collected from shoppers at point of sale in stores and restaurants. In 2016, total collection equaled $343,187 providing the opportunity to grow the program and offer most events as FREE and OPEN to the public. Several flagship and world-class events include:

• South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival (Named One of the South’s Standout Food & Beverage Festivals by USA TODAY) benefiting Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation
• 30A Songwriters Festival (Ranked #5 of The South’s Most Iconic Music Venues and Festivals by Southern Living magazine) benefiting Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County.
• South Walton Fashion Week
• ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival benefiting the Cultural Arts Alliance of South Walton

Together, Grand Boulevard and infinitee aimed to increase the number of annual visits to the center, increase center traffic and sales, and support the local community through philanthropic organizations featured at each event all while delivering a fabulous guest experience.

In the first full year following the launch of Coastal Culture, Grand Boulevard experienced a 950% increase in events and programming, including an expanded charitable events roster adding weekly farmers’ markets on Saturdays, Purses with a Purpose benefiting Shelter House, and more .

This increase was achieved through a combination of tenant-related communications and support regarding the program and its significance to the Town Center, and an integrated consumer awareness campaign, inclusive of onsite signage, rack cards placed in each tenant’s business, digital display advertising, print campaign and public relations efforts. A strategic media campaign was incorporated to capture local and strong feeder markets including Facebook advertising, Pandora Internet Radio, display and print advertising on strategic local websites and publications. Media performed ahead of the national benchmark producing an above average CTR of 1.42% and grandboulevard.com experienced YOY increases in users/new sessions.

Most importantly, attendance across the 18 annual events exceeded 72,500 attendees making 2016’s Coastal Culture A&E program a success.

We couldn’t be more thrilled for our longstanding client, Grand Boulevard, receiving this recognition from all of our shopping center peers at ICSC RECon 2017. Coastal Culture truly is such an amazing A&E program offering the best events in their class. - Jocelyn Smith, CEO of infinitee

About infinitee Communications, Inc.

For over 27 years, advertising has been our life. infinitee’s expertise has been invaluable to many national and regional brands. Our culture comes from our bottom-line mentality and has taught us to think and act fast. We create the proper balance in both strategy and creativity, building brand equity and driving sales. Getting results is what infinitee is all about. Call 1.800.886.3481, x119 to speak with Jocelyn Smith, Founder & CEO.

About Grand Boulevard at Sandestin®

Grand Boulevard at Sandestin®, owned by Howard Group and Merchants Retails Partners, is a premier shop, dine, play and stay Town Center located on Northwest Florida’s pristine sugar-white beaches and among its affluent gulf coast communities. Offering a dynamic lifestyle experience with exclusive shopping from renowned retailers and specialty boutiques, exquisite casual and fine dining options, as well as a multitude of ongoing and annual entertainment options, Grand Boulevard generates a sense of excitement among residents and vacationing guests alike.

About International Council of Shopping Center MAXI Awards

ICSC is an association that serves the global retail real estate industry. It provide its 70,000+ member network in over 100 countries with invaluable resources, connections and industry insights and actively works together to shape public policy.

The MAXI Awards celebrate the outstanding work and achievements of those who are transforming marketing in the retail real estate industry. 2017’s award program included 10 categories recognizing all aspects of marketing, from traditional marketing to new emerging technology, for cause related marketing to NOI enhancements.

Contributed by Jay Friedman, COO of Goodway Group.

For Part 1 of this blog series, get ready to debunk three advertising myths with Jay Friedman, COO of Goodway Group. From attributing offline sales and store visits to digital media, Jay has helped lead the company to 10x growth, now making it the largest independent programmatic media company on the planet. We’re extremely excited to welcome Jay Friedman and his blogs on how to successfully connect a shopper’s cyber footprint to actual foot traffic.

As a retailer, online advertising can be an exciting avenue to pursue new customers. But how do you know if every like turned into an actual purchase? How do you connect every view to an in-store visit?

Attribution isn’t a new problem for retailers. With traditional advertising, it can be difficult to prove that a flyer, TV commercial, billboard or radio sponsorship actually drove customers into stores. For programmatic advertisers, the challenge is much the same. If retailers are going to advertise online, they want to validate that their efforts are delivering offline results.

The ability to attribute offline sales and store visits to digital media is within reach. In connecting the dots between their cyber footprint and your store’s foot traffic, we can debunk three digital advertising myths and pinpoint ways retailers can use programmatic media to more effectively connect with customers.

Myth #1: Attribution requires sacrificing my customers’ privacy.

Reality: By de-identifying personally identifiable information (PII) in both offline and online data sets, you can connect the dots but also protect your customers’ privacy and your brand’s integrity.

At a time when consumers’ concern for their privacy is at an all-time high, I want to point out the anonymity and trustworthiness of our data. Goodway Group developed the Validate360™ solution to guarantee 100 percent anonymity and to track digital ad campaigns and their effectiveness at influencing actual purchasing decisions.

Advertisers can also utilize data from opt-in panels, who have opted into sharing their online activity and mobile locations. This approach compares behavior and location data across desktops, tablets, connected TVs and phones against local ad requests to determine how many ad impressions actually brought consumers into stores. While this data closes the loop between ads served and in-store visits, it doesn’t indicate actual purchases influenced by digital reach.

To learn how big data plays a role in online attribution, continue on to Part 2.

Do you agree that consumers are online more than ever before?

Myth #3: Customers searching online are only interested in e-commerce shopping.

Reality: Online advertising is a powerful way to drive consumers to shop in-store.

Consumers are online more than ever before, but e-commerce still only represents 7.8% of total US retail sales. Retailers who embrace the digital space and provide consumers with relevant, local information will drive shoppers in-store and improve the customer experience.

For example, retailers can share product in-store availability in a consumer’s initial search results. Then using geo-targeting, local inventory ads served when that shopper is nearby will increase the likelihood that he or she will walk into the store and make the buy. Savvy retailers who utilize customized offers like these throughout the shopping journey will ultimately stay ahead of the competition.

For most of us, this is exciting. However, the ability to nearly perfectly close this loop is creating a larger-than-ever gap between sophisticated marketers and the rest of the pack. Retailers must understand the fundamentals of programmatic media and measurement sooner rather than later to keep their businesses competitive.

Please thank Jay Friedman, COO of Goodway Group, a managed services programmatic media company supporting over 100 regional ad agencies in the United States, for sharing this industry knowledge.

For part 2 of Jay Friedman’s series, dive into the second myth of online advertising. Take it away, Jay.

Myth #2: I don’t know enough about my customers to identify them online.

Reality: Any business that knows its customers’ names can match results back to digital media.

For most retailers, offline data is collected and stored in a CRM system, loyalty program or email marketing platform that ties customers to some form of personally identifiable information (PII), such as an email address, name, postal address, or customer ID. Today’s technology allows us to scrub CRM data of all PII through an algorithmic hash process, protecting users’ anonymity. Then by establishing the right data connections and algorithms, we can now match that data to credit and bank card data, as well as cookie IDs across devices to track digital ad campaigns and their effectiveness at influencing in-store visits all the way through actual purchasing decisions. Advertisers can then run more targeted online ads based on consumers’ purchasing histories.

Today’s technology allows us to scrub CRM data of all PII through an algorithmic hash process, protecting users’ anonymity. Then by establishing the right data connections and algorithms, we can now match that data to credit and bank card data, as well as cookie IDs across devices to track digital ad campaigns and their effectiveness at influencing in-store visits all the way through actual purchasing decisions. Advertisers can then run more targeted online ads based on consumers’ purchasing histories.

While every sale is not yet attributable, the results generated by measuring the lift of exposed consumers versus a control group is statistically significant enough to allow marketers to feel confident in the findings and further optimize the next campaign. From there, results can be matched directly to the original dollar amount of the digital media buy compared to the total ad spend for a particular campaign. More importantly, these results can be pivoted to understand the impact of frequency, message sequencing or different creative treatments.

Want to learn more? Continue on to the final myth of online attribution best practices in Part 3.

2014 was my first year at ICSC RECon. As a 20-something year old breaking into the retail real estate industry at the largest deal making event of the year, I was grateful to have my boss with me who had 25+ years experience guiding me throughout the entire show. Below are a few tips from me, now an expert, on how to survive your first time at RECon.

1. Wear comfortable shoes and take care of your feet at night.

My boss joked about this being the most important part of ICSC RECon and she was right. I am pretty good in high heels, wear them daily and never have problems walking in them. But, I had problems getting through three days of RECon in them. I brought a small bag that I put my heels in and wore flats between meetings while I was navigating the map and trying to make it to appointments on time with a few minutes to prep before each one. I still had swollen feet so I made a routine of soaking them in hot water for 30 minutes when we got back to the hotel around midnight every night after dinners and networking.

2. Drink lots of water.

There are two factors here to consider: (1) It’s Las Vegas and scorching hot in the driest air. Just because you’re not dripping sweat from the lack of humidity, doesn’t mean it’s not hot. Keep a bottle with you and make yourself stay hydrated. (2) If you take advantage of the opportunities ICSC RECon provides, you shouldn’t have a break in your schedule except to go the bathroom and to eat a quick meal. You should be running around making the most of your time. This aloneworkoutrk out. Do not get overheated and miss your chance to shine.

3. It’s impossible to have a bad hair day.

The wind is insane on the strip. Check out my Mission Impossible Michael Kors jumpsuit and windblown hair outside the Cosmopolitan on the way to our next dinner date. Do not spend time worrying about your hair. The dry air and lack of humidity only require a brush to go from professional skydiver to top model once again. Spend time with your face in your notes rather than the mirror. Trust me, it’ll be fine.

4. Pack light.

You should know your appointment schedule at least a week before RECon. Plan your outfits down to what you wear on the plane to each day and dinner thereafter. I wore every single thing I packed for the first time in my life on that trip and it was worth the planning. You do not want to lug heavy luggage through the hotels, airport and on the strip. Also, it’s hot. Have I made that clear? Pack light clothes and fabrics that breathe.

5. You never know who you’re going to meet. Be prepared.

This convention brings over 40,000 people to one of the biggest tourist cities in the country. Feel comfortable enough in what you’re wearing so if you meet your next prospect or a celebrity, you’ll be fond of the memory. Look who we met at dinner with clients and vendors. Who doesn’t love the Cake Boss himself, Buddy Valastro?

6. Talk to everyone and always have your business cards handy.

Get up early, have your coffee early and get on your game from the moment you leave your hotel room. Talk to people in the elevator, in the line to get a cab, in the cab, people you rub shoulders with on the train or in the convention halls. We met so many people and exchanged so many cards that turned into great opportunities. You never know who you may be washing your hands next to! And BTW, wash your hands to keep germs on the DL and yourself healthy.

7. Charge electronics overnight and bring chargers with you during the day.

In one of my first appointments of the day, my iPad died. It was mortifying as a first timer. I had charged it all night and either there was a short in the outlet I selected or it was bad luck. Fortunately I had my charger with me and we were able to continue our presentation. Be cool, be calm and stay charged. #StayCalmAndChargeOn

8. Leave time between appointments and don’t lose your map.

I’m all about capitalizing on the opportunities this convention provides and making the most of your time, but don’t overestimate and over promise your commitments. These halls are HUGE - to the point where they have golf carts helping you to get from North to Central and South Halls. I highly recommend leaving 30 minutes before appointments. And do not lose your map or it is game over. Mark your appointments out on your map the second you get there. As you stroll (run) to your next appointment, try to look for the booths of your next meetings. Each looks different and they all have something unique to help you spot them. Check out two of our client’s booths, Tanger Outlets and Lennar Commercial below.

9. Be careful at the parties.

It wouldn’t be Vegas without some great parties – Deal making by day, partying by night. When you’re invited to these parties, remember you are still working. Also remember that not everyone else remembers that. If you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, maintain your professionalism and move on. Watch the flow of the party, the atmosphere, how people are interacting, try to recognize faces before you talk to them, know who you would like to meet before you get to the party, and keep it professional. I recommend a two drink max, because don’t forget ICSC RECon last for three days.

10. Have fun.

There’s no doubt this convention is work. But it’s exciting, thrilling, fast paced and can still be fun at the same time. Try not to let it cloud your judgment of what all of Las Vegas is like if you haven’t visited before for any other reason than ICSC RECon. If you can go a day early or stay a day late, enjoy the beautiful uniqueness of each hotel like the Bellagio and the Wynn.

We hope you enjoyed a first timer’s advise. Please pass it around your office, share with your first timers and tweet us if you want to meet up this year! @infiniteecom

A recent article by Yahoo! Finance has us fired up! There are some seriously cool new benefits to shopping center WiFi that we just have to share.

Before we begin, providing complimentary WiFi at your center used to be a courtesy, but now it's expected. Your shoppers are online even when they're in-store. So if you already have WiFi set up at your center, let's move on. If not, find a preferred wireless router supplier and get connected.

(Bonus points if your supplier can sync with Facebook WiFi prompting users to "Like" your center's Facebook page before logging on!)

Today shopping center WiFi has far greater benefits than just a new "Facebook like" in two major areas:

1. Mobile Advertising
2. Shopper Data Collection

Mobile Advertising

This is two fold. Certain technologies are available to allow you to send push notifications, text alerts or serve ads to shoppers while onsite. All shoppers have to do is connect to WiFi and you can start sending them messages directly to their phone or in various mobile apps. What better way to draw shoppers into one of your stores or encourage them to visit a sale than hitting them in the palm of their hand while on they're already onsite?!

Now, let's take this one step further. As a shopping center, this has potential to be a revenue generator. You can sell these notifications as an advertising opportunity to your tenants or local organizations. If White House | Black Market is having a 20% OFF sale, let WHBM purchase a notification from you to send to tenants shopping onsite. Develop the right pricing model and you may be able to offset the entire investment and have positive cash flow. Now that's what we call strategic marketing solutions. #mindblown

Shopper Data Collection

Similar technologies are now able to use shopping center WiFi as a means for data collection by providing a heat map of shopper behavior. From the time a shopper connects and disconnects to WiFi, you'll be able to track their every move including: Number of stores they visited, Time spent in stores, Which stores they visited, How many times they visit per month and more. Think about the $$$ this could save in market research or shopper intercept studies, and the accuracy! (Not to mention the volume of data...)

To think that all of this data could be readily available just ignites our insights more than ever. The catch 22, of course, is mining the big data. As Ivan Frank, Vice President of Marketing for Taubman Centers Inc. said on the subject:

You can find an oil well, but you still have to refine the oil before it is usable.

And that's exactly where a good marketing partner comes into play.

So how's it all possible? One resource to do this is StepsAway, a cloud-based platform that delivers store discounts and promotions to smartphones that sync with each mall’s Wi-Fi network. Shoppers aren’t required to download an app and are able to view offers by store or category, such as women, men, children or shoes.

PM Realty Group recently engaged infinitee to develop a unique strategy to assist in leasing premier office space within Platinum Tower, a highly visible class A office building a stone’s throw away from the new SunTrust Park Stadium. Currently, Platinum Tower has 100,000 RSF available on the top four floors. Building signage is also available which will allow a prospective tenant’s brand to be visible to over 150,000 cars daily.

As part of the strategic leasing tactics, this available space served as the host venue for Bisnow’s Atlanta State of Office event on Thursday, April 20, 2017. To ensure the space was “show ready”, infinitee created larger than life environmental 3D graphics highlighting the building’s attributes, all designed to make a strong impact capturing attendee attention and lease the space.

1. Available Space and Building Information

2. Proximity to SunTrust Park and the Cobb Energy Centre

3. Amenities including nearby walking, biking and hiking trails along the Chattahoochee River

4. Diverse retail and dining options nearby

To further increase awareness about leasing opportunities at  Platinum Tower, Bill Weghorst,  PM Realty Group’s Eastern Division President, moderated the event panelists through a discussion about the changes in the Cumberland submarket.

“I am so proud of our team and the amazing outcome of the environmental graphics program for Platinum Tower in preparation for this important Bisnow Atlanta event. This approach was strategic from the start utilizing the available space as the venue host, creatively displaying key messages about the space and the market to attendees, and having a member of the leasing team moderate the panel. We look forward to this space being leased!” - Barbara McGraw, infinitee’s CMO and Founding Partner.

About infinitee Communications, Inc.

For over 27 years, advertising has been our life. infinitee’s expertise has been invaluable to many national and regional brands. Our culture comes from our bottom-line mentality and has taught us to think and act fast. We create the proper balance in both strategy and creativity, building brand equity and driving sales. Getting results is what  infinitee is all about. Call 1.800.886.3481, x119 to speak with Jocelyn Smith, Founder & CEO.

About Platinum Tower

Highly visible from the junction of I-75 and I-285, with sweeping 360-degree views,  Platinum Tower is a landmark within the premier Cumberland Galleria submarket. With the ability to offer up to 100,000 RSF available on the top four floors, Platinum Tower also offers a “top of the building signage opportunity” that is visible to over 150,000 cars daily. In addition to multiple thoroughfares, access to the Chattahoochee River and Cumberland Trail network, Platinum Tower is just minutes from the new SunTrust Park and The Battery Atlanta.

About PM Realty Group

Platinum Tower is leased by  PM Realty Group (PMRG), a privately held commercial real estate firm that focuses on creating value by offering a full spectrum of real estate services, including property and facility management, leasing, marketing, development, investment sales, construction management and engineering. PM Realty Group capitalizes on its team's expertise, exceptional properties, tenants, clients and robust operating infrastructure to seek and ultimately create opportunities that generate exceptional returns. PM Realty Group currently maintains a strategic presence in 30 markets, leasing and managing over 130 million square feet across a portfolio valued in excess of $35 billion.

About Accesso Partners LLC

Platinum Tower is owned and managed by Accesso Partners LLC, a full-service, vertically-integrated commercial real estate investment manager, owner, and operator that aims to provide superior returns to its U.S., international and institutional investors. Accesso Partners LLC  focuses on acquiring commercial office properties in Class A locations in the largest and fastest growing metropolitan cities and premier suburban submarkets throughout the U.S. Properties currently in the portfolio range from the iconic 57-story, 1.43 million square-foot IDS Center (the tallest building in Minnesota) to the equally distinguished contemporary single-story, 150,000 square- foot Class A, 7100 Highlands Parkway, in suburban Atlanta. Its affiliate, Accesso Services LLC, provides pro-active, cost-efficient property management services with an owner’s mindset to over 8.5 million square feet of its commercial real estate assets nationwide. Accesso Partners LLC is headquartered in Hallandale Beach, FL with offices in Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, and Atlanta, GA.

About Bisnow Atlanta State of Office Event

Atlanta has long been recognized as one of the strongest office markets in the Nation, and 2016 was no exception. Despite major political changes and fluctuating demand, Atlanta investment and leasing activity is poised to do well through 2017. Topics include Office Leasing, Development, and Finance, and how to gain a competitive edge through construction and design.

Recently a client told me they wanted to launch a social activation campaign that focused on growing the brand’s Instagram followers and audience. Knowing that you can’t simply run a paid advertisement specific for new followers, our client wanted to get creative to achieve such an initiative.

Here are the 6 ideas I provided in order of least to most investment by time or money. If you have a campaign in mind or want to talk about customizing one of these ideas for your brand, shoot me an email at chelsea@infinitee.com and we’ll get started.

1. Outreach

The tactics we see the greatest return on are with outreach efforts - liking and commenting on as many posts as we can, and following as many profiles (that align with your audiences) as possible. It takes time, but it's the most cost-effective way to increase genuine, quality followers.

2. Advertising

Other opportunities are boosted posts and ads ran in conjunction with Facebook. These would be best if they're tied to some kind of incentive that relates back to the Instagram content and your brand’s unique selling points. Imagery should be aspirational to capture viewer attention. The ads should also have a CTA in the copy or the image/video to "Follow us" and the ads should link back to the Instagram profile, not to a web address.

3. External Promotion

You can also promote the Instagram profile in other communication mediums: Facebook, Twitter, Email, Mobile app, Push/text notifications, Onsite signage, etc. with the same CTA to "Follow us". If you’re a shopping center, charge your CSRs to ask shoppers if they’ve followed your brand on Instagram when they visit for other needs!

4. Sweepstakes/Giveaway

When it comes to incentivized campaigns, we typically see Instagram garner more engagement than followers unless the CTA or mode of entry is to actually follow the profile. Unfortunately, that is difficult to track as you can't export followers or see when someone followed you. For now, Instagram followers are listed in chronological order when you have 200+ so it would take manual effort to track new followers each day of the campaign and ultimately select a winner at random.

5. Social Movement

There's always the opportunity to turn this into a larger initiative like a social movement where users are following and interacting for a cause or message rather than an incentive. Oftentimes these are the most successful in garnering new followers as well.

Adidas did this with the #ORIGINALis campaign and so did Apple with the #shotoniPhone6 campaign. Both of those capitalize on the purpose of Instagram - user generated content and the network itself being picture driven.

6. Instagram Takeover with Influencers

Other campaigns geared toward followers are “Instagram takeovers” from a person of influence. Magazines and publications seem to have the most success, but it has to be done with someone who already has a strong social following so their users know to visit the page they're taking over. This is oftentimes the most expensive investment from a national perspective, but can be quite cost effective on a local level with smaller influencers.

If you’re not sure how to get started in identifying influencers, visit one of our recent posts, Influencer Marketing: Finding Your Squad.

And again, these are just 6 simple ideas off the cuff ranging in scale that you could certainly consider for your brand. If you’re interested in continuing the conversation, just email me - Chelsea Cannon at chelsea@infinitee.com!

Thanks for visiting!

Chelsea Cannonchelsea@infinitee.comDigital Brand Strategist infinitee Communications, Inc.

It is no longer a question of whether or not a commercial real estate company should have an active social media presence. Remember the 90’s when companies realized they needed to build a website? Well, now we're in 2-0-1-7 and so it is with social media platforms. The benefits far outnumber the negative misconceptions of time it takes to post and manage. And the analytics demonstrate the effectiveness of these tools to for three main reasons and more:

1. Grow brand awareness
2. Increase search engine optimization
3. Reach and engage with your customers (yes, even B2B customers)

The commercial real estate industry has been slow to adopt social media as a mainstream marketing tool. The reality is that CRE clients (aka corporate America) have already embraced social media — which means that your CRE company needs to leverage it to build your brand and grow their business. But this must be done strategically.

Few CRE companies do it consistently and even less do it well. A notable exception is Cushman & Wakefield maintaining an active presence on multiple platforms. Barbi Reuter, COO of Cushman & Wakefield, writes for and launched the blog PICOR Connect, Trends in Commercial Real Estate. Reuter once stated:

Don’t let yourself be scared off by the vast world of social media. Think of it as an opportunity to give your brand a personal touch, and to more closely connect with the community around you. The blog became the hub, and our social channels the spokes through which we share our messages.

Companies can no longer expect to reach specific targets via traditional marketing that pushes out messages through advertising, brochures, direct mail, email, flyers and even websites. (Yes, email and websites are now considered traditional marketing efforts.)

Social media has granted permission and access to consumers to share their opinion openly with the world, both good and bad. Being able to address both appropriately and timely can create lifelong brand advocates. There are three components to launching and maintaining your social media presence:

1. Pick your Networks

Although there are literally hundreds of social media platforms available, the most popular ones for B2B include: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogging. All have their unique advantages.

• Facebook allows daily communication, transparency, brand exposure and industry engagement
• Twitter is an instantaneous news feed of engagement and a great source for driving website traffic
• YouTube is viewed by millions of subscribers daily and serves as an impactful messaging tool for showcasing images that speak volumes about your brand
• Blogging positions a company as a thought leader and serve’s as new website content for the search engines ultimately increasing SEO

2. Develop a Messaging Plan

Developing a strategic messaging plan is the first step to executing social media and many companies will engage outside experts to write the plan based on specific goals. The plan can then be executed by an in-house team or be maintained by an outside resource. Experts in social media should propose a plan that is customized to the CRE company internal capabilities, objectives and budget.

Having an active presence on social media is no longer an option for CRE companies and, in fact, can be a detriment for some if they do not have an active voice online. If you are still questioning the value of social media, you are already behind the curve and your competitor may soon pass you by as they glean customer insights, increase brand awareness and grow their business through social media.

To learn more about how social media can impact your businesses bottom line or to simply get started, contact our Digital Brand Strategist, Chelsea Cannon at chelsea@infinite.com.

Our longstanding client, Gables Residential, brought us a unique opportunity in 2016—brand and market a new residential development on the very last piece of available real estate on Harbour Island in Tampa, Florida. Wow.

For those of you unfamiliar with Harbour Island, it has its very own zip code (33602) acting as a sub-district within Downtown Tampa. The island mostly consists of private residential areas including a yacht club. Sitting just across the bridge from major Tampa attractions like the Straz Performing Arts Center and Amalie Arena, Harbour Island is known for luxury with waterfront dining, cultural events and festivals, upscale shopping and an atmosphere filled with energy.

Our challenge—Brand the newest (and last) luxury apartment development that embodies what it means to live on Harbour Island surrounded by ocean views and steps away from Tampa’s downtown revival.

Our solution—We created an upscale brand identity with additional branding recommendations including design and execution of onsite signage, wayfinding and pre-leasing materials. This omni-channel program consisted of digital, print and social media, as well as public relations designed to reach this highly targeted audience.

Color Palette & Mood Board

Selected colors and imagery embody the upscale details of a modern and luxurious residential development, while emulating oceanic tones tying in the serene surroundings.

Property Name, Logo & Positioning

A number of distinction. When your location is as prestigious as your development, self-branding is like a self-titled album and the solution that simply makes sense. Located at 500 Knights Run, we branded the community after its address: 500 Harbour Island.

To bring it home, we created a positioning line with a bit of a double entendre playing on the upscale development and vivacious lifestyle, coupled with its island surroundings giving birth to

Urban Living. Island Time.

Website

An image-intensive, responsive website was key to capturing prospective residents online and to serve as an information source for media outlets curious about the newest development breaking ground on the last piece of precious real estate. Explore the website on your own at 500harbourisland.com.

Leasing Brochure

Building from the tagline, “Urban Living. Island Time.”, a unique property brochure was created. Having essentially two front covers, one half of the square brochure showcases the proximity of downtown Tampa and the energy and convenience of having great dining and shopping options just steps away, while the other half focuses on the serenity and tranquility of 500HI’s spa-like amenities and its distinct island address.

On-Site Signage

This was a blast. We love opportunities to carry the branding through every piece, part and component of a project. From digital to onsite, it’s truly rewarding to see our initial efforts in the color palette and mood board become a reality in real life.

Social Media

To capitalize on consumer search and participate in the chatter, we developed and managed all of 500 Harbour Island’s social media presence including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and others. Utilizing social listening tools, we conduct outreach on a daily basis tracking chatter and engaging in one-to-one communication to keep the dialogue going. In addition, we launched an intensive paid media campaign on Facebook and Instagram to get in front of highly targeted audiences.

Within the first 5 months of management, we acquired over 700 followers and garnered nearly 185,000 impressions.

500 Harbour Island is certainly a feather we wear proudly in our infinitee cap and we’re so glad we were able to share its branding story with you!

If you’re interested in learning more, contact Kelly Nation at kelly@infinitee.com or see more of our work here: www.infinitee.com/#thework

There's a phenomenon going on in the digital ad space and it's called Programmatic Media Buys. Here's what you need to know about it and why it's one of the best uses of your digital dollars.

What is a programmatic buy?

Programmatic Media Buys serve digital ads to the right users, in the right places at the right time through specialized media campaigns with highly targeted, streamlined tactics utilizing data-driven algorithms and human expertise.These tactics can include:

1. Placement on various channels including Display, Mobile, Video or Cross-Device
2. Advanced Geo-Targeting through State, DMA and Zip Code Targeting or mobile-focused Hyperlocal Targeting
3. Audience Targeting through:
   • 1st Party Cookies: Placing a pixel on your website and following users where ever they go online
   • 3rd Party Behavioral Targeting: Targeting by relevant user searches, popular websites, online magazines, mobile apps, etc.
   • Audience Match: Utilizing an existing database or Look-Alike audiences
4. Content Targeting by Demographics, Interest/Categories, and Industries relevant to your target demographic

Why is it better than other digital buys?

Over the course of a campaign, data correlates to identify patterns for optimum delivery and performance. Media placement adjusts daily to improve spend and targeting parameters based on performance. Each campaign builds upon the existing data ensuring your media spend is more targeted and more cost effective each time. It essentially takes the guesswork out of it granting you quality impressions.

What roles do media spend and campaign duration play?

A higher media spend and longer campaign duration are very important for the first programmatic campaign. The more media spend available, the more tactics you can test to properly identify which resonate best with your target audiences. Sufficient funds are required to run more than 2 tactics to avoid spreading the budget too thin, risking optimum data analysis. Additionally, a longer duration for the first campaign, such as 60 days compared to 30, allows more time for feedback on the target demographic's online behaviors.

Once the initial data is collected on tactic and targeting performance, you can accurately select tactics you know perform well with your audience and conduct future campaigns over a shorter time frame requiring less media spend. It's important to note that sometimes seasonality plays a factor into necessary spend. For example, digital ad bids are more competitive during the holiday season and therefore more media spend is required to ensure your ads outbid competitors also trying to serve ads to your target audience at the same time.

How is performance measured?

Performance is assessed through primary KPIs like Impressions, CTR, CPM, Conversions, etc. Over the course of a campaign, you can see Impressions increasing, CPM decreasing, CTR increasing and CPC decreasing because the ad placement is automatically optimizing based on performance.

If you're ready to learn more, email our Digital Brand Strategist, Chelsea Cannon, at chelsea@infinitee.com.

Tech-savvy Millennials were the age group on every marketer’s mind in 2016 especially when it comes to e-commerce. However, older generations like Gen-X and the Baby Boomers actually account for a significant amount of online spending, and according to  Business insider, 25% of mobile shoppers are over the age of 55.

So what does this mean for your e-commerce advertising strategy? Don’t alienate the older generations with a millennial-focused strategy - especially in regards to ecommerce.

Below are key takeaways for a multi-faceted e-commerce advertising strategy geared towards Gen-X.

1. Highlight Product Quality.

According to  Ascendia, quality is the most important consideration for an older online shopper. While Millennials focus on scoring deals on products due to having the lowest incomes, Generation X and Baby Boomers have more wiggle room with their budgets. Play up the quality of the product in an obvious and enticing way for them, like  JM & Sons does on its “ About Us” section of its website.

JM&Sons Story

2. Utilize Email Marketing.

You can’t go wrong with email marketing to back your ecommerce strategy. According to  MarketingSherpa, over 60% of every age group prefers that companies communicate with them by email marketing. This is in stark contrast with the less than 30% of every age group that prefers communication on a mobile app or the less than 40% of every age group that prefers communication on social media.

3. Keep it Simple.

Simplify the buying process for older e-commerce users who expect ease and convenience as they spend the least amount of time on electronics. The call-to-action button should link the shopper directly to their shopping cart; links that open other tabs could deter impatient users. For more tips, reference  Ecommerce Guide.

4. Ask for Feedback.

Asking for customer feedback on the purchasing process will help your business find the perfect balance between simple and modern. Since your specific products attract a certain clientele of their own, it’s important to keep testing and modifying your e-commerce experience in order to find the perfect fit for them.

5. Deliver a Seamless Experience.

Don’t forget the millennials since these shoppers do make up such a large portion of your online customer base. They still are looking for a seamless, updated online experience in line with their advanced tech skill. Your website should be current and trendy to appeal to this fickle generation while not losing sight of the features above.  

All of your customers are important and should be considered in your e-commerce strategy, but the range of generations surfing your site makes this task difficult. While articles on Millennials demands’ of online shopping are popping up on the internet every day, older generations with the highest disposable incomes are being put on the back burner. Maximizing on these powerful age groups will ensure that you are not missing out on easy sales giving you a leg up on your competition. See more insights from infinitee here.