This fall, Inman will honor the inaugural class of inductees into the Inman Golden I Club. The class will be announced live at Luxury Connect, Oct. 16-17 in Beverly Hills.
What is the Inman Golden I (pronounced “eye”) Club? It’s nothing less than the highest honor in luxury real estate. We’ll be awarding Golden I awards in nine categories:
- Top Luxury Agent 2019
- Top Luxury Team 2019
- Top Luxury Brokerage 2019
- Best City Sale 2019
- Best Mountain Sale 2019
- Best Beach Sale 2019
- Best Sales and Marketing Campaign for a Luxury Property 2019
- Best Sales and Marketing Campaign by a Luxury Development 2019
- Golden I Hall of Fame
The following are the finalists in the sales and marketing categories. Finalists in the other categories will be announced soon.
Best Sales and Marketing Campaign for a Luxury Property 2019
Recognizing the most innovative, humorous and forward-thinking marketing campaigns used to market a luxury property during the past year.
535 Ocean Avenue, Los Angeles, California (Nourmand & Associates with The Society Group)
Owned most recently by beauty entrepreneur Howard Murad and also once owned by screen legend William Holden, the penthouse at 535 Ocean Avenue was purchased by Judd Apatow and his wife Leslie Mann. To achieve this end, Rochelle Maize at Nourmand & Associates used her creative skills to market the penthouse and hired The Society Group to help the property go viral. The team created the theme of 1960s-beach-meets-Instagram-museum, earning the property the nickname “the InstaPenthouse.” The trippy installation included a trampoline photobooth and an art installation of over 1,000 pinwheels.
165 Huckleberry, Jackson Hole, Wyoming (Engel & Volkers)
To market 165 Huckleberry in Jackson Hole, Engel & Volkers’ Andrew Ellett and Devon Viehman pioneered what they call the “mini-movie” concept. The firm utilized a professional producer/director of short films and commercials, along with paid actors and a storyboard, to showcase this $17.7 million estate at the foot of the Tetons. Through this lens, potential buyers experience a day living in the home, allowing them to envision the life possible on the property.
48 Little Road, Meredith, New Hampshire (Keller Williams Lake Life Realty)
Known as “The Birches,” 48 Little Road in Meredith, New Hampshire, was marketed by Keller Williams Lake Life Realty team in a series of engaging video and marketing campaigns. For example, the “Dog’s Life” video featured the property from the owner’s dog’s perspective. In addition, Brie Stephens and her team hosted an exclusive open house featuring a magician, antique boat tour and antique car show, and a virtual open house for people out of state. The property sold in July 2019 for over $4 million.
15231 Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, California (Rodeo Realty with The Society Group)
To launch the marketing of this $3.5 million home, The Society Group partnered with listing agent Ben Quibrera of Rodeo Realty to throw what’s believed to be the first-ever cannabis-themed open house, dubbed the “Greenleaf Cannabis Laboratory.” The event showcased the evolution of cannabis and CBD wellness products, a fitting theme considering the home’s address on Greenleaf Street — and one that resulted in a sold property.
976 Idlewild Road, Gladwyne, Pennsylvania (BlackLabel Keller Williams)
BlackLabel, a division of Keller Williams Philadelphia, had the 976 Idlewild Road property featured in Philly Style Magazine when it was quietly listed (price unpublished) and directed all interest to the property webpage, where the new owner found it. Strategic marketing efforts included holding a trolley tour for this home where they hired a trolley, brought city agents out to the suburbs to tour the home and invited the press as well, resulting in multiple offers on the home. BlackLabel also co-hosted an event with McLaren Philadelphia for the property unveiling, and even helped sell the 2019 McLaren 720S Coupe featured at the property.
Pumpkin Key, Card Sound Bay, Florida (Ocean Reef Club Sotheby’s International Realty)
To market this property on Pumpkin Key, a 26-acre private island in the archipelago off of Miami, Ocean Reef Club Sotheby’s International Realty partnered with Evolution Virtual to take the visualization of the property to the next level. Through the partnership, Evolution Virtual brought the property’s story to life.
5870 Rutgers Road, La Jolla, California (Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California)
For the listing at 5870 Rutgers Road, La Jolla, Lin Li of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, created two video series taking aim at the niche clientele of Chinese buyers, one of which focuses on the many issues first-time buyers might face. Lin advertised the series using popular Chinese social media platform WeChat, as well as Sofun SD, the largest Chinese media platform in San Diego.
Playa Vista Isle, Hillsboro Beach, Florida (Concierge Auctions)
Located at 935 and 939 Hillsboro Mile in Hillsboro Beach, Florida, Playa Vista Isle garnered the world record for the highest-priced ever achieved for a U.S. home at auction.
Best Sales and Marketing Campaign by a Luxury Development 2019
Recognizing the most innovative and successful marketing campaign used to market a luxury development during the past year.
212 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York (Sotheby’s International Realty)
In the winter of 2017, 212 Fifth Avenue was approximately one-third sold and Madison Equities hired Sotheby’s International Realty as the project’s exclusive sales and marketing firm. The team refreshed the marketing material and refined core positioning points, then secured high-profile staging and art gallery partners to provide notable artwork and furniture. The team also assembled a strong list of brand partners for cross-marketing initiatives and high-profile events including Bloomberg Media, La Prairie, Vacheron and Constantin and more, resulting in the sale of the penthouse, one of the year’s landmark deals.
The Modern on Field Point, Greenwich, Connecticut (Coldwell Banker)
To market The Modern on Field Point in Greenwich, Connecticut, Coldwell Banker-affiliated agent Tamar Lurie and her team created a showroom in her Greenwich office, a content-rich website and a public relations push that resulted in millions of impressions. Based on their understanding of the Greenwich market, the team leaned into in-person events including happy hours and the sponsoring of one of Greenwich’s popular polo matches. During the events, potential buyers mingled with the developers and the architect of the development.
Galerie, Long Island City, New York (Halstead Development Marketing)
With its prime Long Island City, New York location across from MoMA PS1 — not to mention a curated “art box” on the ground floor of the building — new development Galerie allowed Halstead Development Marketing in conjunction with PS New York to develop a brand positioning emphasizing the property’s connection to the arts and its spaces designed by ODA New York and Paris Forino Design. Each aspect of the branding (name, promotional material, sales gallery and digital platforms) highlighted the unique artistic sensibility of the property.
One Thousand Museum Residences, Miami, Florida (Sotheby’s International Realty)
Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliate from South Florida represented sales at One Thousand Museum Residences, located in Downtown Miami. This development is the first and last residential skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid. Here, the team created a series of short videos and brochures to promote this development and Zaha Hadid’s global portfolio of iconic designs.
Linville Ridge, North Carolina (Premier Sotheby’s International Realty)
The Premier Sotheby’s International Realty marketing campaign for new model homes under construction in this established private residential community of 1,800 acres near Blowing Rock, North Carolina, encompassed videos, brochures, magazine ads, advertorial pieces and newspaper inserts as well as robust public relations and social media campaigns. All collateral materials were produced by an in-house design team who conveyed the idea of “elevated” mountaintop living.
Ward Village Penthouse, Honolulu, Hawaii (Hawaii Life)
This 60-acre oceanfront development by Howard Hughes Corporation in Honolulu’s urban core was named “Master Planned Community of the Year” by The National Association of Home Builders in 2018. Hawaii Life created and marketed the penthouse as featuring a walkable, sustainable urban lifestyle. The sales and marketing speak to the unique architecture and amenities of their real estate offerings, but Ward Village understands that they are selling an experience and lifestyle in Hawaii. Their sales and marketing efforts are as much culinary and retail experiences, a walkable/sustainable lifestyle, Honolulu’s vibrant cultural life, and Hawaii’s unparalleled climate and beauty, as it is about their exceptional luxury property offerings.
