Dream Buildings contacted Rosewood last year, looking for a solution to their advertising woes. Aaron, the owner, and Martha, the secretary, had determined that managing their advertising was more than they could handle. When publishers called, sometimes they couldn’t remember if they were even advertising in that particular publication. Their ads were not consistent in appearance or content. Implementing the offers in the ads was an additional frustration. Dream Buildings, still in its first year of business, wanted to hand over their ad management to Rosewood.
A new logo
We discussed the trouble they had connecting with their ideal customer. An ideal Dream Buildings customer is looking for a specialty building or a high-end equine arena setup, accompanied by a great customer experience from the builder. Unfortunately, Dream Buildings was attracting price-shopping customers who just needed a garage in the backyard.
We commended them on the appropriate name Dream Buildings, but noted their branding didn’t fit well with their name. Their appearance as seen by prospective customers didn’t accurately portray the company’s goals and brand spirit. We advised them to adjust their brand positioning.
We helped Dream Buildings build a brand that would attract the quality-conscious customer who is looking for specialty buildings or equine facilities. The brand theme is designed to communicate quality workmanship and dreams come true. Here are before and after photos of the logo:
Preparing and running ads
Once the logo/branding project was complete, we tackled the ads. After collecting the list of publishers from Martha and obtaining information and media kits from each of them, Twila compiled a spreadsheet of Dream Buildings’ current ads. In addition, we prepared a map to show their current geographical coverage. The spreadsheet and map gave us a clear picture of their advertising—weekly versus monthly, color versus black and white, in addition to ad sizes, deadlines, and issue dates.
Based on the advertising plan and map, we recommended which publishers to target to attract the ideal customer. Knowing Aaron’s annual advertising budget informed us where to set each month’s budget, and we adjusted ad sizes and run frequencies to fit that budget. We used an aspect-ratio calculator to find appropriate ad sizes that would not require major adjustments to our templates.
Matt was the ad designer for this project. His goal was to create ads with emotional appeal that would grab attention as readers scanned through a publication. Many competitor’s ads showed a nice building, so for Dream Buildings to stand out, Matt shifted the focus to a lifestyle or experience the potential owner could enjoy. An effective way to do this is to include people’s faces, which also symbolize the great customer experience that Dream Buildings delivers. Most Dream Buildings ads also include photos of finished buildings. Matt collaborated with Martha on the ad design until these four templates emerged, one for each advertising category: equestrian, agricultural, general, and residential.
High quality photographs
Adrian has been dispatched multiple times to photograph Dream Buildings projects in nearby states. Having just the right number of large, high-quality photos included in the ads draws the eye.
Adrian wanted to use dramatic lighting to show Dream Buildings in a dreamy light. He achieved this through several sunrise photoshoots. One morning Adrian launched the quadcopter and captured the winning photo that would be used on Dream Buildings’ catalog cover. The aerial photography option provides wonderful flexibility and a new perspective—as long as the horses and livestock don’t mind the strange flying creature!
Adrian was amazed with the variety of projects he was sent to photograph. They varied from small storage buildings to large horse barns with riding arenas, and even two water buffalo feed barns at a water buffalo dairy! He enjoyed connecting with Dream Buildings’ satisfied customers who were happy to cooperate with photoshoots because of the good experience they had with the company.
One component to successful photoshoots was the ability to be flexible on schedule. Adrian adjusted his trip to New Jersey due to weather predictions and was rewarded with favorable weather. Adrian and Aaron planned the amount of time allotted for each location, devoting more time to the specialty buildings. Packing along gear for both exterior and interior shots, Adrian needed to make sure it was all charged up and ready to go! The motel room served as a major charging station overnight on one trip south.
Carefully captured photos of Dream Buildings’ high quality products have helped sell the dream. The buildings and style of photography help portray the brand spirit Dream Buildings wants to communicate. Their product has not changed, but the product is now presented in a way that better conveys the premium quality of the buildings. The photos will also give us a great jumpstart on the upcoming website project for Dream Buildings. The investment in high-quality photography will keep paying off across all of their marketing materials.
Ongoing collaboration
Gary has taken over the designer work for Dream Buildings’ ads. He updates the artwork design each quarter. Gary watches the schedule, communicates with publishers, and submits new ads before each deadline. He enjoys updating the design using new photos Adrian shoots and selecting emotional photos to pair with catchy headlines. Once the category template is updated for the quarter, he simply adjusts the content to fit the other ad sizes required.
Dream Buildings has been tracking results from the ads and focusing the advertising on publications that bring the best results. We are now running ads in fewer publications, which is more efficient and effective. Each month, we collect invoices and tear sheets from publishers and provide the information to Dream Buildings in a user-friendly format.
Keeping open communication between client and publishers, Twila adjusts the advertising plan as necessary throughout the year. For Twila, the most enjoyable part of the campaign management is organizing scattered content so that it is easy for everyone to work with. A common frustration is dealing with publishers who don’t provide information upon request.
We have also worked on other projects for Dream Buildings. Matt designed building plaques to brand the finished buildings. For the customer, the plaques show ownership and pride in the building. They also identify the company who built their building. We continue to work with Dream Buildings, having designed and printed business cards, quote letters, letterheads, banners, and a catalog.
Rosewood is thankful for the privilege to collaborate with Dream Buildings on this campaign and for the opportunity to refine our ad management processes. It was rewarding to hear a jubilant Aaron talk about his increased sales in the first quarter of this year. Work continues to pour in from the areas reached through targeted advertising.