MARKETING AND ADVERTISING
Branding an Image
Program: Platinum Rewards Program
Project Snapshot-
Campaign: Platinum Rewards Program;
Owner: College Park Communities
Headquarters: Newtown Square, Pa.
Budget: $500 and $700 per property for the initial campaign
Launch: Between February and March 2003
Retention rate after campaign: 2 percent increase valued at approximately $1.3 million
What’s the biggest challenge facing all multifamily management companies? Vacancies. College Park Communities created a marketing campaign to help the company meet its leasing goals. The campaign focused on renewals by offering a rewards system to current residents. The catch phrase of the program: “Play Hard with Platinum.” Cardholder receive discounts from local vendors, priority parking at the facility, and much more.
T-shirts, pins, stickers, and the platinum card all share the same logo – and all remind residents of the benefits of living at a College Park community.
The campaign shows a carefully planned and comprehensive branding strategy. Every resident renewing a lease qualifies for the program, which is offered at every College Park community across the country.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Good Deeds
Program: Hope Through Housing Foundation
Project Snapshot-
Owner: Southern California Housing Development Corp.
Headquarters: Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Number of Participants in 2002: 20,046
Every successful apartment company wants to give something back to its residents. It’s a universal sign of telling residents that management cares.
Southern California Housing Development Corp., a nonprofit owner and manager in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., has found a way to not only give back to its residents, but to the community at large. It created the Hope Through Housing Foundation, a subsidiary with a mission that goes beyond providing shelter.
The organization focuses on four aspects of every day life: After School and Beyond focuses on the development and prosperity of children; Living Well provides mental and physical help for senior citizens; Career Source provides training and resources for six job markets; and Continuum of Hope is a transitional housing program that helps formerly homeless people transition back into the community.
Success stories include a homeless woman graduating from the transitional housing program and eventually buying a home for herself and her kids; children mastering healthier behavior patterns and learning to read; and adults finding rewarding jobs and even starting their own businesses.
BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY
Wireless Work Orders
Program: PDActive Workforce
Project Snapshot-
Owner: Lane Co.
Headquarters: Alpharetta, Ga.
Goal: Eliminate lost time and improve efficiency
Set-up Costs: $1,800 to $4,000 per property
Result: Elimination of one technician and a 25 percent reduction in paperwork
Efficiency is the No. 1 thing driving property management. And with higher than normal vacancy rates, keeping your current residents happy is the key to success. So, when it comes to maintenance issues, it’s imperative to get the job done right – and quickly.
Lane Co. uses PDAs to its advantage by arming its maintenance technicians with a tool that will help them do their job better and more efficiently. With this mobile work order system, maintenance personnel receive wireless work orders, which are prioritized and immediately transmitted to the appropriate technician.
A work order can appear in English or Spanish and can be instantly translated for the person reviewing the information.
The system allows the company to track how long jobs take, and it can identify which technicians might need additional training. By using PDAs the company has seen savings of 20 percent from eliminating lost time spent in hardware stores, on challenging projects, and paperwork.
