Refining Harriott at Armstrong Creek with a Strategic Review

Harriott at Armstrong Creek is a 700-lot residential community located within a very competitive corridor in Geelong. Jinding Developments and Yolk Property Group, in a joint venture with the Harkness family, started the project. Harriot aims to provide a serene community, connected to nature as well as all the urban essentials. Residents were expected to be welcomed within 18 months from the commencement of construction.

Since its launch in 2019, Harriott evolved several times. It had changed its name and shifted the focus of its marketing strategy to attract prospects with a value proposition that emphasised contemporary design, abundant parklands and urban convenience.

In the second phase in its evolution, Harriott was looking to tweak the existing value proposition to include developing meaningful relationships between developers, residents, future residents and the wider community.

Harriot’s Senior Marketing Manager, Sara Andreadis, reached out to Property Republic Director, Judi Carr, through professional networks to engage Property Republic to conduct a review of the project. The Property Republic team conducted the review in December 2020 and provided a strategic direction for community development activity.

The main objective was to conduct a review of Harriott’s brand, customer experience, and messaging and marketing activity. Property Republic was required to provide recommendations to help the project with the following goals:

• Improve the customer experience

• Increase certainty around brand messaging

• Set out a clear direction for a more effective marketing strategy

The Approach

The strategic review was conducted in several phases. It encompassed the following aspects of the project:

• Brand

• Customer experience

• Messaging

• Marketing activity

There were a number of challenges faced by the project development. This included higher levels of mortgage commitments. The growth area communities were also dealing with reduced access to local employment, services and public transport, contributing to higher car dependence and higher household costs. There was also concern about isolation and safety. The Harriott team needed to come up with a solid plan to get community initiatives off the ground.

Phase 1: Mystery Shopping

This first phase involved conducting a mystery shopping exercise with the help of a mystery shopper who lodged an online enquiry through the project website. Serren, an upgrader, was looking to purchase a single storey home with four bedrooms and two bathrooms on a 448sqm block. The mystery shopper was asked to express some concerns and ask a number of questions such as:

• What if we choose the wrong builder and the experience is terrible?

• Will my block increase in value?

• Will the land be ready when you say it will be?

• What is coming in the way of parks and other amenities?

• How much is the deposit?

The shopper was asked to record all correspondence, record a video diary and complete an online survey.

Phase 2: Online Customer Experience

An online enquiry customer experience comparison was also performed through a persona called Rachel Holland that Property Republic created. Rachel sent an online enquiry to a range of competitor projects and the customer experience was mapped out.

Phase 3: Competitor Analysis

The brand review concluded with a Harriott and competitor review by the Property Republic team. It was initiated and completed by Property Republic Director, Judi Carr, who visited the Armstrong Creek corridor and reviewed the following projects:

• Harriott

• Anchoridge

• Armstrong

• Warralily

The competitor analysis closely looked at Harriott and key competitors based on the following:

• Key messages

• Signage

• Sales office

• Community

• Website content

• Realestate.com.au project profile

• Facebook

• Facebook Ads

• Instagram

• Google sponsored content

Harriott and its three key competitors were also compared based on these criteria:

• Customer experience

• Sales Journey vs Aesthetics

• Brand proposition

• Consistency vs Clarity

• Digital customer experience

• Communication vs Consistency and Velocity

The Results

The Property Republic team concluded the review with a comprehensive report that covered the steps in the whole process along with thorough recommendations that tied back to the primary goals of improving the customer experience, strengthening the brand messaging, and setting out a clear direction for the overall marketing strategy. The recommendations also touched on brand proposition, pricing and community engagement.

Property Republic emphasised the importance of a streamlined and consistent strategy across all aspects of the project to ensure a more seamless customer experience that is aligned with the brand and product propositioning. These recommendations could hopefully help Harriott play to its strengths and live up to Jinding’s vision of the project.

Jinding Developments have since re-engaged Property Republic to undertake community research for Harriott as well as two other projects, Greenvale and Broadstead Kilmore.

The Feedback

“Jinding’s vision for Harriott has resulted in strong market acceptance and brand positioning. Market research completed by Property Republic in 2020 affirmed Harriott as the premium project in the catchment based on its branding, considered design, and desirability. In 2021, Harriott achieved a record 184 sales and price growth of $95,000* for a 400sqm lot. In addition, Harriott achieved a comparable sales price to Warralily an established, larger estate in the catchment.”

– An excerpt from the pitch for Harriott’s award submission