$8.75M IN SALES AT OPENING
The Groves
we’re storytellers > the groves –turning a new neighborhood in the middle of nowhere into an oasis of trees
the importance of seeing the forest for its trees
Starting with just a forest-filled plot of land under construction near the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, we turned Mother Nature into a leverageable competitive differentiator and created one of the most sought-after neighborhood community destinations in NE Houston. Our 20+ years of real estate marketing expertise gave us the knowhow and the power to build the brand story around the sensory appeal of natural-wooded surroundings and created sales collateral that showcased the location, the builders, and the allure of living Life in the Woods. The Groves is an affluent master-planned community comprised of single-family homes and is set in a densely wooded area northeast of Houston.
The developer went to great lengths to preserve the trees and natural surroundings of the community, even offering new residents the services of a personal arborist. Unlike many other Houston suburbs, The Groves was located in an upcoming area near Lake Houston that did not actively promote itself. Tasked with the launch of a major development with multiple home builders in an area that was not established as “the place to live,” we knew we would be on our own when it came to promoting the benefits of the area and creating a destination for living. Additionally, this was Crescent Communities first offering within the market, notable for its well-established local developers and highly competitive real estate development landscape. Our job was to create a brand image for the community and the corporation from the ground up and to drive presales with no tangible assets for homebuyers to experience.
Based on our local market knowledge, our deeply rooted real estate background, and our knowledge of the homebuyer mindset, we formulated a campaign strategy that highlighted the difference between the area competition and the quality of the surroundings, builders, environment and personality of The Groves. Combined with select outdoor, family fun photography surrounded by nature, we turned a blank canvas into a destination that put The Groves on the top of the consideration list and set it apart from the sea of competitive new developments in the area.
The creative message for The Groves—Life in the Woods—was used as the primary force for its debut in the market. From the welcome center and billboards to the sales collateral and website, we created a unique selling position for The Groves and surrounded the brand with the right messaging to drive sales. The marketing focused on being able to create your own backyard and live in an amenity-rich community with a natural playground for kids of all ages. It started with the sales center, which showcased spectacular views of the community, and moved into an Earth Day Grand Opening celebration, which allowed families to experience the great outdoors in fun and unusual ways – giant inflatable balls of the Earth, food trucks serving healthy cuisine, and outdoor life-sized board games.
The campaign continued with public relations, realtor events, print advertising, sales collateral, broadcast and digital messaging that featured trees as the canvas. The goal was to bring as many leads to the website, designed to showcase the lifestyle advantages of being surrounded by nature’s beauty, highly accredited schools, and top notch builders. Over 400 people attended the grand opening event. Over 35 homes were sold within a few months of opening, representing $8.75 million in sales.
The award-winning creative for the sales center, print advertising and website created a momentum in sales that led to the early start of Phase 2, the early launch of the Fish Camp amenity and further sales growth that induced two new builders to join the community. The Groves continued to achieve positive month-over-month sales growth in an increasingly sluggish market. As a result, we were able to move from Phase 1 development to Phase 4 build-out two years ahead of schedule.
