Doing More

Village Properties

Village Properties is Santa Barbara's leading independent real estate company. I developed the brand “We Do More” that separated them from their international competitors.

Santa Barbara, Montecito and the surrounding California markets are highly desired real estate. There is a high demand for the valuable property and the competition is fierce amongst real estate companies, including international.

But Village remains at the top. In 2020 Village Properties achieved a sales volume of $1.8 billion and a 16% market share. That's quite an uptick compared to 1997, Village's first full year in business, when sales volume reached $101 million and a 5% market share. The brokerage is a member of Forbes Global Properties network and was recently recognized by Real Estate Almanac’s T3 Mega 1000 report in the "Highest Average Sales Price By Brokerage" top five national rankings with an average 2020 sales price of $2.2 million.

The Creative Story Solution

Furniture Gallery by Mattress Mike “Fairytale” campaign

It all started with a spec.

A sales executive came to me asking for help. The client wasn’t getting results from their advertising, and more specifically, their spot.

Of course, it is never that simple. They had a typical broadcast spot that panned their store and merchandise. The narration was bland and didn’t focus on any particular separating benefit. That wasn’t all. The client’s store didn’t face the street, making it hard to find, and it was small. Their location and product wasn’t their main benefit. You could get their products from any other furniture store.

When I met with them I knew right away what their selling point was: Their passion and service. They were a family-owned business. Their customers loved dealing with them because of their pleasant demeanor and enthusiasm and because they delivered on their promises. In the words of the owner, Mike, “we want to give our customers a magical experience.”

Given the obstacles facing them and the competition moving into the market, I knew they needed something…different. They needed creative with an edge that would stand out. I knew once we got customers into the store the client’s service would do the rest.

So after doing some research with that “magical experience” in mind, I came up with an idea: Did you know that many classic fairytales revolve around some sort of bed, chair or other furnishing?

I developed and produced their first spot, “Goldilocks and the Three Chairs,” as a spec. The result was night and day. People now come into their store and say they are here simply because of the client’s creative and ask when the next fairytale will come out. The brand “Happy Ever After” followed and the rest, as they say, is history.

As competition comes and goes, Furniture Gallery by Mattress Mike continues to grow. They recently moved into a very large space in the heart of Santa Barbara, California, a far cry from the small store where their story began.

In today’s media space you need to find a way to stand out. The word “story” is often overused, but classic storytelling will never go out of style. Everyone, no matter which and how many devices they are on, is captivated by a good story…and a happy ending.

 Simi Valley Toyota “Driven to be Different”

The owner/manager bought the dealership in 2020 and needed a strong rebrand. He had moved from another state and was shocked by the negative publicity and impression the dealership had in the area. They needed to earn the trust of the community back and they needed to be “different.”

“Road to Simi” was written to convey their story and their philosophy about business.

Because of the success of the campaign, Simi Valley Toyota and I were featured in Brian Pasch podcast “Turn Around Story: Simi Valley Toyota Finds The Perfect Partner” based on success and strategy of client’s “Driven to Be Different” campaign: https://brianpasch.libsyn.com/website/category/turnaround-story-simi-valley-toyota-finds+the-perfect-partner

It’s all about story, and the new owner of Simi Valley Toyota had a good one. I just captured it.