Challenge
To increase visibility and awareness nationally and internationally for Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square’s fractional ownership real estate opportunities, during one of the most difficult economic environments in modern history.
Strategy
With a weak economy and a concurrent waning interest in fractional real estate opportunities, LCI needed a creative way to energize interest among potential buyers for Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square. San Francisco’s winning bid for the upcoming America’s Cup race (predicted to be one of the largest sporting events in San Francisco history) provided an opportunity. The idea?
To leverage awareness in advance of the America’s Cup for the Fairmont Heritage Place property, while supporting sales in real time.
LCI developed and launched a PR driven arm to an exclusive sales incentive program two years in advance of the Cup’s arrival in San Francisco. The limited-time America’s Cup incentive gave new homeowners who bought during a restricted timeframe the rare opportunity to lock-in a waterfront residence at the Fairmont – and have prime waterfront viewing – during the America’s Cup race.
Execution
LCI worked with key media contacts to secure national top-tier print and online coverage in travel, real estate, luxury, business and sporting media outlets. LCI also developed an international media outreach strategy by targeting media in France, China, New Zealand and Australia as prime international markets with America’s Cup team representation.
Results
The launch of the America’s Cup incentive resulted in significant media coverage for Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square, both nationally and internationally: Robb Report, Wall Street Journal, Elite Traveler and Associated Press. In France, coverage resulted in placements in six travel and yachting focused websites, as well as placements in Air France Magazine and Le Quotidien du Tourisme, France’s popular weekly tourism newspaper.
Also, in New Zealand and Australia, Boating New Zealand, the region’s top boating and yachting publication, featured the incentive. The media coverage in those countries spurred more than a 100% spike in traffic to the Fairmont’s website. In total, LCI’s media outreach generated more than 6,410,272 print impressions and more than 10,732,046 impressions online.