888 Vegas
It seems that just a few years ago advertisement for condominium and cooperative residential real estate was straight forward: A floor plan accompanied by the image of the building. If the building was not built, a simple architectural ink-wash rendering was provided.
Today, extravagant marketing campaigns appear to sell something other than real estate. Looking at a full page condominium advertisement in the dailies, wandering through the condominium promotional website, visiting a “condo sales boutique” (previously referred to as a sales office), or thumbing through the promotion package – I wonder if the product being sold is an apartment or a lifestyle.
Sheffield 57
Sultry images of men and women overlooking a skyline - no image of the building, no drawings of a floor plan, no real direct tie to a piece of property. At first glance I look for a logo of a women’s shoe co., or dress designer icon, or a perfume bottle. Only a few stylized letters of a stylized address and a small disclaimer text on the bottom. It must be an advertisement for Viagra.
Can one actually buy lifestyle, and for that matter, can one buy a life. If you can - let me know. I have been told to ‘buy a life’ since I was six on the playground wearing Garanimal clothing.
William Beaver House
Of course, consumers are not that naïve to think that they are buying new chique friends instead of property. A close buddy of mine lives in a building on the lower East side. He shares the floor with Victoria Secret Model Alessandra Ambrosia. If the building had a glossy sales brochure, it would actually live up to the images of beautiful barely clothed models walking around the halls. Although he has informed me that she typically wears sweatpants, rarely says hello to her neighbors and has not once invited him to a party. The point is, my friend did not buy his apartment based on a slick ad campaign and although he is an attractive guy, I do not think that he would have made it in the brochure.
With all that said; there does not appear to be any stopping of the condo marketing machine and as my professor told us in advertisement 101 “sex sells”. So sit back, relax and open the Sunday New York Times real estate section. You may see more skin then in Playboy.
Platinum
