An innovative campaign to market shared ownership apartments in central Basingstoke has won a national award.
The Sovereign Living marketing drive to promote new homes available at Skyline Plaza on Alençon Link scooped the top prize in the most effective marketing category of the Affordable Home Ownership Awards 2011.
The award, sponsored by Rightmove and awarded on Thursday (8 September) by the comedian Jo Brand, recognises effective marketing which acknowledges the needs and desires of customers.
The judges praised a “well thought-out and resourced campaign”, which used “creative humour to stand out from the crowd”.
The 15-week Sovereign Living campaign, which began in September 2010, aimed to promote a range of apartments for shared ownership, which allows first-time buyers to purchase an initial share of a property and pay a discounted rent on the rest, with the option of buying a greater share of the home at a later date.
The campaign was aimed not just at young adults but also their parents, with a humorous take on the ‘bank of mum and dad’. It promoted the benefits of independent living in a light-hearted way, as well as the affordable starting price of £37,475.
The concept for the campaign was produced by Sovereign’s own in-house marketing team, and a variety of channels were used to advertise the properties, including newspapers, cinemas, radio, bus stops and online media, as well as direct engagement events at the Festival Place shopping centre.
“The campaign was successful not only in marketing the properties at Skyline Plaza, but also in promoting the concept of shared ownership as a way for young adults still living with their parents to obtain their first home,” said Tony Quigley, Director of Home Ownership at Sovereign Living.
“We saw a massive increase in the number of people enquiring about these apartments and that resulted in excellent sales figures.”
Now in its fifth year, the Affordable Home Ownership Awards are endorsed by the housing sector. They recognise excellence in promoting low-cost home ownership.
Notes to editors:
• Sovereign Living is a trading name of The Sovereign Housing Group Limited, a charitable body. The Sovereign Group is made up of four charitable associations: The Sovereign Housing Group Ltd; Sovereign Housing Association Ltd (incorporating Sovereign Twynham); Kingfisher HVHS Housing Association Ltd; and The Vale Housing Association Ltd – plus subsidiaries. It also includes the non-charitable Sovereign Living Limited.
• Find out more about the Affordable Home Ownership Awards 2011 at: http://www.housingawards.co.uk
• If you would like more information, please contact Roy Probert, Public Relations Manager for Sovereign, on 01635 277406 or 07827 356479, or email roy.probert@sovereign.org.uk
