Gallery One Resort Residences

The Challenge

With more than seven condominium-hotel projects in various stages of development in Fort Lauderdale, Gallery One Resort Residences searched for an innovative and cost-effective method to differentiate its property from the competition while capturing the attention of potential investors, media and the many tourists yearning to own a luxury vacation property in South Florida.

After researching many methods and locations to increase brand awareness, we selected the airport as the ideal site to promote Gallery One to the planeloads of vacationers – and potential buyers – coming into the region.   With its terminals welcoming thousands of vacationers, business travelers and local residents each day, the airport has the ability to reach thousands of potential customers.

The next step was to develop a marketing concept which effectively conveyed the features of the resort residence and made it stand out among the airport’s non-stop activity.   By combining the allure of Fort Lauderdale’s sandy beaches with Gallery One’s tagline, “the fine art of vacation living,” a project which addressed both marketing messages was developed.

We commissioned local artist John May to sculpt a three-ton sandcastle of the Gallery One building.  During the creation process of the sandcastle, various media outlets and scores of onlookers were attracted to the out-of-place, yet appealing activity taking place in the airport.   After nearly 10 hours of sculpting, the project was completed and sealed in an acrylic sandbox, leaving a timeless display in place and a lasting impression on the thousands of passengers passing through the airport each day.

Strategies & Tactics 

• Media Relations – we developed a detailed media strategy which promoted the building of the sandcastle to local television stations and daily publications. After the sculpture was completed, a post-event press kit which included press releases and photos of the sculpture was sent to in-flight publications, travel magazines, real estate magazines and other media outlets.

• Collateral – in conjunction with Gallery One’s advertising agency, additional marketing materials were created to increase awareness of Gallery One at the site of the sandcastle, including:

• An adhesive wrap was installed around the base of the box containing the sandcastle. The wrap increased the visual appeal of the display while highlighting the benefits of ownership at the condominium-hotel.

• Pocket-sized brochures which further explained the features of Gallery One and its location in Fort Lauderdale.

• Posters were placed beside the display to further illustrate the “fine art of vacation living” available exclusively at Gallery One.

The Results

• Print and broadcast editorial stories reached more than 4 million consumers, which included coverage by USA Today, The Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and WSVN-Fox 7 News.

• More than 4,300 direct leads were generated as a result of brochures being snapped up at the display site.

• The sandcastle established awareness of the Gallery One brand to the more than 2,240,000 people who traveled through the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport terminal housing the sandcastle while on display.

• The “outside-the-sandbox” marketing tactic was extremely cost-effective, introducing Gallery One to a large audience and costing less than $0.01 per impression.