Puerta a la Vida, our amazing client in Costa Rica has launched a new landing page…click here

This week FORMO and our digital partner {e} house signed an incredible new account in the form of Richard Mishaan Design in New York. Richard is an amazing icon of interior design and interior architecture. If you want to get an idea of his exceptional work just click on this link to his book Modern Luxury. 

We look forward to this incredible opportunity.

TryonPlaza.com

FORMO in conjunction with Blue Ion launched a new website for Tryon Plaza, an historic commercial office building project located in a near perfect location in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. The Tryon Plaza Building is owned by our client The Simpson Organization of Atlanta, GA and is the second Simpson Project to be awarded to FORMO.

In rebuilding the site, FORMO approached The Simpson Organization with a very simple premise: generate sales leads for the building which had languished for over a year with very few sales leads. FORMO demonstrated that the opportunity lay in a new marketing strategy, not lamenting over economic conditions.

The problem in lead generation for Tryon Plaza was due to a stale and conventional marketing strategy. FORMO developed a new strategy based on extensive research of the existing owners and tenants in Tryon Plaza and then pushed that forward in a cloning strategy to find more prospects just like the current owners. As a result the strategy became centered on providing tools and straightforward information to entrepreneurial small business owners.

The launch of the site was timed to match the first of a series of Professional Entrepreneurial Events to be held in the beautiful conference facilities at Tryon Plaza.  Not coincidentally the first series was titled, “How to Grow your Business – Leasing or Buying your commercial space”. The Speaker, John Bly with The Charlotte-based accounting firm of Toler, Bly & Associates actually referenced and used the Lease-Buy Tool embedded in Tryon’s new website to demonstrate the inherent value and benefits for a small business to own their commercial space. A resounding and qualified endorsement of the technology and the strategy.

Check out the site, Tryon Plaza

2.0 Blog & E-magazine

FORMO in conjunction with our amazing digital partner {e} house launched the 2.0 version of the blog & emagazine for the Turks & Caicos Sporting Club at Ambergris Cay, Life on the Cay. The new blog replaces the original version launched in 2009.

When we first proposed the concept in 2009, the client’s initial response was that affluent people don’t blog or read blogs. Fortunately the results proved our theory to be overwhelmingly correct. Since its launch the blog has rocketed to the top of the list in terms of lead generation among the super-affluent clientele of the Sporting Club. The client experienced a 12x increase in qualified, lead generation during a period when the real estate market was in precipitous decline.

We think the reason is simple: Authenticity. The affluent clientele targeted by the Sporting Club are not only discriminating, they are immune to the typical hyperbole of real estate marketing. They ignore it and as a result it has very little influence in terms of generating actions (sales leads). However, when authentic, real world content is served up in a technologically savvy and sophisticated environment…engagement happens.

Of course there is more to the strategy than the summary of the preceding paragraphs, but suffice it to say that it works and it worked so well that the client funded an upgrade and expansion of the platform. All of this further validates FORMO’s proprietary digital strategy, “COBWEB”.

Fantastic article by Susan Kime, read on

Ok, it’s big headline and I don’t expect a waiting list for seats. I had breakfast a few weeks ago with Greg Furhman, Founder and Chairman of the Luxury Marketing Council. Greg and I were discussing some applications of positioning with luxury products and services when he suggested that I participate as a speaker for an upcoming event they were planning on the Aesthetics of Luxury through Design & Print. I was honored by Greg’s invitation and humbled by the opportunity to speak to such a prestigious group. Nonetheless, I have a very relevant and fascinating case study to share with them. I’m going to talk about the positioning process and application that we implemented for the DPS Sporting Clubs. This is a fascinating and highly relevant case study not only for the real estate development industry but also any product or service that requires a very precise marketing model.


The event is May 20 at Madam Tussauds in Manhattan. For more information click here.

From real estate developer perspective, marketing resources must produce directly measurable ROI.

We understand that as we are an in-house marketing company for a successful development company that remains highly active: DPS SPORTING CLUB DEVELOPMENT COMPANY.


In the current economic times, the conversation with potential prospects will simply not happen if you follow the same old agency strategies of big advertising, production marketing and template communications. The conversation with potential prospects is one to one and it initially takes place online where the prospect controls the space with the close button on their browser. The content therefore must engage the prospect and hold their attention. To do that it must be authentic and real. Its too easy for any of us to Google your project and find out “everything” about it from other sources. And we are all immune to advertising tag lines, manufactured copy and clearly staged photos in over-sized, expensive brochures. We simply ignore them. Think about how many ad messages you experienced last night watching television from your home. Do you recall any? Chances are that you don’t. You’re immune to them. In order for that strategy to work the Developer must devote massive resources, which is a viable strategy if you sell consumer products in a global marketplace but not for a struggling developer selling a niche product. The ROI is just not there anymore.


Still, I continue to be amazed at how many development firms remain trapped in their own marketing/advertising paradigm yet exhibit a very different behavior as individuals. When asked how they obtain information…the web. When asked how they research a product or service…the web. When asked the last time they called for information from an ad they saw in a magazine…they can’t recall.


The danger however is the “I’m an expert” reaction. “We need a new website.” Unfortunately that’s not necessarily the answer. If their “expert” opinion views the web as an electronic brochure or a digital means to shove ad copy down the prospect’s throat then the ROI will be low.


The web is not the alternate path for the same old marketing strategy.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) – During the flush years, luxury brands seemingly cemented their exclusive status by shunning one of the ultimate mass mediums, the internet. According to a new study, only 33% of luxury brands were selling online a year ago, but the recession has had a profound effect, as 66% of luxury brands are now peddling their wares on the web.


But, despite the increase, most luxury brands lack digital savvy, said Scott Galloway, an associate professor of marketing at NYU Stern School of Business who looked at 109 luxury brands across 11 categories, including fashion, electronics, jewelry, hotels and automobiles.


“It was fine when revenues were growing 11% a year. And then everything changed. They’ve woken up and said, ‘Last holiday season sales were down 34% but traffic to our website was up 61%.’ Brands are innovating out of necessity.”


In his study, Mr. Galloway awarded brands designations of “Genius,” “Gifted,” “Average,” “Challenged” and “Feeble.” He found that the high-end automobile and electronics categories tended to have more digital savvy, while the cruise and tours segment, along with jewelry, were the least savvy.


Luxury marketers’ fear of losing control of their brands, when coupled with a lack of digital and social-media skills, has contributed to the dismal state of the category online, Mr. Galloway said. But he expects that will change dramatically over the next 24 months, as brands realize they can’t ignore technology. The days of a tightly controlled brand, with beautiful merchandise and flagship stores at tony addresses, along with ads shot by high-profile names in Vogue and Vanity Fair, are over, he said.


Luxe Exemplars
But some brands have been rolling with the times, and it’s probably no surprise that Apple and Sony have been at the forefront with robust digital presences that utilize search and incorporate video and user-generated content. In the auto category, more than half of the brands in the study are reaching consumers via mobile devices. BMW sends text messages to remind owners to purchase winter tires, while Ferrari’s mobile game lets users customize and race vehicles.


There are other bright spots. Ralph Lauren has been aggressive in the mobile space, with the launch of an iPhone app. And Estee Lauder has a makeover widget that allows users to upload a photo and virtually test products on their faces.


When it comes to Twitter and Facebook, luxury brands are making a showing but have not had nearly the same impact as other marketers. The Four Seasons and Fairmont hotels have separate Twitter accounts for each property and post updates with special events and promotions. And Trump Hotels, tweeting via @ivankatrump, boasts the largest number of followers, just shy of 260,000. After Apple, Lamborghini has the highest Facebook fan count, with about 1 million fans.


Still, less than half of the brands included in the study purchase search terms.


Mr. Galloway suggests that the excuse that luxury customers are not online is dated, pointing out that 40- to 55-year-old women, a sweet spot for these brands, is the fastest-growing segment on Facebook. Likewise, Generation Y, a growing group of luxury consumers, is poised to outnumber baby boomers by 2010.


“Luxury has become very complacent, as they’ve had the curse of being monstrously successful over the past 20 years. There hasn’t been a great deal of urgency around innovation,” he said. “All of a sudden the model has become very broken.”


CLICK HERE to view the entire article and the brands designated as “Genius,” “Gifted,” “Average,” “Challenged” and “Feeble”

OK, so maybe we are just a little biased because Hall’s is one of our clients and long-time friends. But without doubt, it is on the fast-track to becoming one of Charleston’s Best Restaurants. Yes the Chops are outstanding, the quality and service five star and the environment fits the perfect steak house. But it is the genuine care and warm welcome that you feel from every member of the Hall’s Family that set it apart. Rarely does one have a dining experience where the owner of the restaurant personally thanks you. It is really special.


Congratulations to Bill, Jeanne, Tommy and Billy for bringing this awesome experience to an already incredible dining scene!


Seated L to R: Lai Rippee, Bill Hall, Tryg Brody, Gil Patrick and Chris Wynn

The FORMO team has just returned from a 4 day shoot in St Kitts for our client Christophe Harbour. The shoot was to collect material for a new website we are developing, set to launch in June. While the shoot was quite long ( I dont care to see the sunrise in St Kitts anytime soon ) it was very exciting and fun working in such a beautiful location. Technically we had a blast shooting in 4k with the RED and playing with the new video capabilities of the Cannon 5d Mark II. We will post footage soon!


PS: I also got a little time to shoot which was awesome