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Ads That Burst Their Borders Attract Attention
 Builders spend billions each year creating ads and sending out mailers to pique buyer interest. Thousands of these marketing messages are in competition each day, hoping to create a sense of excitement ― and urgency — to lure buyers to a particular builder’s homes.
To make an impact, it is essential for your ads and direct mail pieces to stand out in the sea of competition.
Break Out of the Box ― Literally
One guaranteed way of attracting attention is to design ads and collateral material that break out of the box — literally ― and distinguish themselves from the ho-hum advertising already out there.
A specialized border treatment, distinctively shaped ad or die-cut direct mail piece guarantees the “look at me” effect every builder is after. And it’s now easier than ever to accomplish this through direct mail because current postal regulations allow almost any size and shape of mailer to be delivered. So take advantage
Use Border Treatments as Branding Tools
Border treatments can also be used as branding tools. Use the same treatment with different copy for several different communities, and you have a series of ads that highlight individual community features while creating a consistent look that buyers will recognize.
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Premier Homes puts a little twist on the "box" approach to draw attention. |
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A Twist on the Box
The Premier Homes ad is an effective example of how putting a simple twist on the traditional “box” ad can make all the difference.
The twist in this case is the “3” shape that sets the ad apart from everything else on the page. The headline works with the design to call immediate attention ― and urgency ― to phenomenal savings and the limited time offer. The breaking-the-border presentation draws the eyes to the featured homes and their price savings, as well as the small burst that re-emphasizes the maximum savings if the home buyer decides to purchase today. The ad can be updated easily, with new inventory homes featured weekly or monthly.
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| 'Pop-out' cash in Washington's Birthday ad clearly conveys message to buy now and save. |
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The Savings Just Pop Out
The Washington’s Birthday Sale mailer above is an example of how a strong incentive is illustrated in an innovative way. The pop out of crisp thousand-dollar bills commands attention, makes an instant impact and clearly conveys the intended message — Buy now, get big savings.
Bold fonts, oversized graphics and an emphasis on “green” further accentuate the incentive offer. The foldout copy, “This is our biggest sale of the year,” lets potential buyers know that they won’t see prices like this again.
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| The shape, color and message of "red tag" ad says, "Save!" |
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Red Tag Says Savings
This “red tag” ad makes quick work of excess inventory — exactly what any red tag sale advertising is meant to do.
The ad shape works in complete harmony with the headline and, because sales are always about savings, the ad highlights the exact dollar savings possible.
The ad copy uses all capital letters in the headline and subhead to emphasize urgency. Finally, the company logo breaks the “tag” border to give it additional prominence.
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| Legends and fairy tales work in harmony to make this ad effective. |
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A Fairy Tale Made Real
Everything works together to make the Tindall Homes ad above effective and it all builds upon branding the communities name, The Legends at Mansfield.
The ad projects a “fairy tale”-like appearance and invokes a “fairy tale”-like lifestyle. In fact, much of the advertising and marketing material for The Legends at Mansfield look like they were plucked straight from a storybook.
This ad in particular breaks its border in order to visually suggest a castle. The parapets atop the ad and shield-like center presentation visually reinforce the copy and branding as well as complement the community and corporate logos.
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| Easily identifiable concepts and a die-cut shape make this mailer created to appeal to aging baby boomers a standout. |
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This Mailer Ain’t Square, Man
The direct mail piece above for Morningside at Martin’s Run from Oster Homes was created to target the '60s generation, those baby boomers who have now reached the active adult age. A fun image harking back to their “hippie” days was selected as the primary motif for marketing Morningside, an active adult community in Ohio.
The copy emphasized peace, love and savings ― easily identified concepts for this targeted market. Plus, the distinctive die-cut shape demanded to be noticed when it arrived in the morning mail amidst a pile of rectangle and squares.
In all of these cases, designing “outside the box” meant ads and mailers that immediately broke out of the clutter of other builders’ ads.
Richard Elkman, MIRM, is president of Philadelphia-based Group Two Advertising. He has been a speaker at NAHB conventions and regional and local seminars, including the Lee Evans Group Executive Summit and Builder 100 conferences. His book, “The Small Volume Builder Advertising Manual” and others were published by NAHB. His articles have appeared in major housing publication and newsletter across the country. Elkman has served as president of The Institute of Residential Marketing, is a member of the National Sales and Marketing Council's board of trustees and is the master of ceremonies of the National Sales and Marketing Awards held annually at the International Builders’ Show. .
To see more examples of effective ads, direct mail, billboards, Web sites, sales offices and more, e-mail Elkman for a free subscription to his Sales and Marketing CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS bi-monthly e-mail publication.
 Learn How to Develop Effective Ads
“Building Better Ads,” available through BuilderBooks.com, explains the ins and outs of advertising, including how to write and design effective ads. To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.
 Subscribe to Sales + Marketing Ideas Magazine for Cutting-Edge Info
For additional cutting-edge sales and marketing information, subscribe to NAHB’s Sales + Marketing Ideas magazine. Call 800-368-5242 x8192 or visit www.smimagazine.com to subscribe or order a copy. Click here to learn about membership benefits of the National Sales and Marketing Council and the Institute of Residential Marketing.
The Insititute of Residential Marketing Offers Courses and Designation Programs for Sales & Marketing Professionals
The Institute of Residential Marketing (IRM) offers four designation programs for sales and marketing professionals:
- The CMP and MIRM designation programs for new home marketing professionals
- The CSP and MCSP designation programs for new home sales professionals
For more information on these designation programs, click here.
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