Target Group Marketing for the
Revolution within the “4 walls”

From micro-hous­ing to multi-gener­a­tional co-hous­ing, living envi­ron­ments and hous­ing concepts have expand­ed signif­i­cant­ly in recent decades. Devel­op­ments such as the mobile Gen‑Z, co-living, home offices and large immi­grant fami­lies have creat­ed a complex demand land­scape for which off-the-shelf solu­tions are no longer suffi­cient. We recent­ly described how vacant office space in partic­u­lar offers special oppor­tu­ni­ties. In this Valdivia Expert Tip, we outline how you can find new market­ing approach­es even in the current diffi­cult market situation.

Real estate becomes mobile

Demand orien­ta­tion, and there­fore market­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties, begin at the design stage. A trend study by project consul­tants Drees & Sommer1 describes ways to achieve this: inno­v­a­tive build­ings and smart neigh­bour­hoods of a new gener­a­tion are designed from the ground up for adapt­abil­i­ty and versa­tile use. The key is “multi-use” — whether in flex­i­ble mobil­i­ty hubs or in newly used spaces. A multi-use build­ing is no longer designed for a specif­ic purpose, but primar­i­ly for adapt­abil­i­ty. This means that it can be effi­cient­ly equipped and market­ed in line with promis­ing markets, even at rela­tive­ly short notice.

Multi-use prop­er­ties and appro­pri­ate­ly planned neigh­bour­hoods open up scope for intel­li­gent target group market­ing. With the right features, the prop­er­ty gains an effec­tive adver­tis­ing profile and stands out from the crowd — for exam­ple through

- Barri­er-free living and quiet meet­ing places for older people,

- Shel­tered play­grounds and play areas for young fami­lies with small children,

- Sepa­ra­ble areas in the living room for the home office,

- Commu­nal spaces for projects aimed at coop­er­a­tive living — also in the context of the current trend towards micro-hous­ing ‚2

- Combi­na­tions of hous­ing with work­shop or busi­ness premis­es for micro-enterprises.

Service as part of the product

The inter­face between construc­tion and use is a partic­u­lar­ly good area for target-group-orient­ed market­ing. The ideas are almost limit­less. For exam­ple, a dedi­cat­ed rental or shar­ing service can comple­ment the e‑bike and e‑scooter stor­age room. Work­ing singles will be delight­ed with the block­’s own pack­ing station for goods ordered online. Seat­ing areas right outside the front door have always been a popu­lar social meet­ing place, and there­fore a proven, easy-to-imple­ment means of combat­ing loneliness.

Digi­tal­i­sa­tion plays an impor­tant role here. In their latest MIND digi­tal Trendbook3, Bern­hard Steimel and Ingo Stein­haus show how impor­tant digi­tal customer service is as a success factor in today’s compet­i­tive envi­ron­ment. Customer expe­ri­ence, the perspec­tive of the customer, has become indis­pens­able — and can be easi­ly imple­ment­ed in a vari­ety of ways with the help of AI. It is not just about intel­li­gent ener­gy supply or build­ing secu­ri­ty. The tenant app with customer- and target-group-orient­ed advice and assis­tance in every­day life is also an impor­tant build­ing block.

One prop­er­ty — differ­ent target groups 

In order to address specif­ic target groups with prop­er­ty and living concepts, the style and choice of media for commu­ni­ca­tion should also be geared to this. Differ­ent target groups can be addressed for one and the same property.

Micro-apart­ments for Gener­a­tion Z, for exam­ple, are only perceived digi­tal­ly. The presen­ta­tion should be easy to consume, enter­tain­ing and informative1 — ideal­ly enriched with videos, info­graph­ics and oppor­tu­ni­ties for dialogue. Simi­lar­ly, you can reach young fami­lies, home office work­ers or senior citi­zens through specialised social media pres­ences, newslet­ters and land­ing pages with appro­pri­ate design and content.

Tradi­tion­al adver­tis­ing media can also be used to target differ­ent audi­ences in differ­ent ways. In partic­u­lar, creative print mail­ings have regained much of their impor­tance as adver­tis­ing is now almost exclu­sive­ly on screen. They offer a target­ed selec­tion of address­es and creative extras that no online medi­um can provide — such as herb seeds (“A taste of your green oasis”) or special­i­ty papers (“Time for a change of scenery: this is how it feels!”).

Designs for success

Whether for exist­ing prop­er­ties or new projects, prop­er­ties still need to be market­ed in the current diffi­cult climate. Current trends offer inno­v­a­tive start­ing points — combined with the old knowl­edge that an enhanced offer always stands out in its surround­ings and attracts more inter­est. Above all, intel­li­gent combi­na­tions of struc­tur­al design and user-orient­ed services offer devel­op­ers, builders and investors oppor­tu­ni­ties for profil­ing and market­ing resi­den­tial and mixed-use prop­er­ties. You can bene­fit from the widest range of hous­ing types and lifestyles in the histo­ry of modern housing.

(foot­notes)

1. “10 future theses for the construc­tion and prop­er­ty indus­try”, Drees & Sommer 2023  (10 Zukun­ft­s­the­sen für die Bau- und Immo­bilien­wirtschaft“, Drees & Sommer 2023)
2. “Micro­liv­ing Initia­tive”, 9th market report, Bulwienge­sa spring 2024 (“Initia­tive Micro­liv­ing“, 9. Mark­tre­port, Bulwienge­sa Früh­jahr 2024)
3. “Trend­book Smarter Service”, E‑Book, MIND Digi­tal 2024

(Image source: Valdivia Consult­ing GmbH — gener­at­ed with DALL‑E)