SITUATION
The Esquire IMAX Theatre, in Sacramento, California, desired to reposition itself as more than just a larger-than-life movie theater, but also a catered event facility for situations such as product launches, sales meetings, etc. The challenge was to try to capture IMAX’s larger-than-life experience in a direct mail piece.

SOLUTION
Barcellona’s first order of business was to conduct research among corporate meeting planners as to their top reasons for selecting, or not selecting, a particular venue for their organization’s meeting or launch.

With this information in hand, Barcellona created a direct mail piece to convey all the amenities and conveniences IMAX can offer for events, specifically touching on the five top issues that were hot buttons for meeting planners. Because IMAX theaters are so unique, the direct mailer was designed to imitate IMAX’s super-sized screen with playful die-cuts that turn this compact brochure into something much more lively that definitely stood out among the daily mail. We also played up the theater’s art deco ambiance throughout our design.

To better market the theater’s event capabilities, the direct mailer doubled as an invitation to a special, private party that featured an IMAX 3-D film and catering from some of Sacramento’s hottest eateries. The invitation portion of the mailer was represented with a movie ticket for admittance.

RESULTS
The Esquire IMAX Theatre was very impressed with the product delivered, in addition to the successful marketing results. The theatre was full and four events were immediately booked. In addition, residual recognition continued to bring in reservations. Barcellona won a gold ADDY award from the Sacramento Advertising Club for this project.

SITUATION
A ten-year effort to reinforce the area’s flood control led to the release of a building moratorium and North Natomas was set to experience vital development, with Natomas Park in the forefront. Lennar Communities, an arm of the largest homebuilding company in the United States, was ready to begin development of its master planned community in the area just north of downtown Sacramento, CA. Unfortunately, the area had a history of negative publicity due to a legacy of flooding.

SOLUTION
Barcellona´s research resulted in a strategy to target homebuyers living in suburban Sacramento and its foothills who worked downtown and were tired of a long commute. Barcellona created a brand and subsequent support plan for Natomas Park that included graphic design, advertising and public relations. The “Time of Your Life” tagline focused on the fact that less time spent commuting meant Natomas Park residents could enjoy the many recreational and social amenities the master planned community had to offer, including a resort-style club.

The Natomas Park brand hit the market with a vengeance. A teaser campaign graduated into a full blown marketing campaign consisting of a designed sales office ("Welcome Home Center"), signage program, color newspaper and magazine ads, outdoor, radio, an Internet presence, collateral materials and heavy public relations support.

The grand opening weekend of the community consisted of two event-packed days of activities and brought a critical mass of people – more than 7,000 – to Natomas Park. In addition, a sponsor relationship with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings provided the opportunity to not only get the Natomas Park brand in front of thousands of people, but to create unique partnering and public relations opportunities. Kings players visited Natomas Park for events and Barcellona coordinated a “Shoot for a Home” contest, where a lucky participant had the chance to win a new home if he or she sunk their shots within an allotted time period.

RESULTS
There have been many significant milestones during the lifespan of Natomas Park that validate the success of Barcellona’s branding and marketing efforts. The first time a teaser ad ran in the main news section of The Sacramento Bee more than 1,000 hits were generated on the new Natomas Park Website. Natomas Park was recognized as the best-selling master planned community in California. Barcellona’s marketing efforts generated traffic of up to an unprecedented 1,500 homebuyers per week. Natomas Park was named “Master Planned Community of the Year” by the North State Building Industry Association and garnered Barcellona 23 additional marketing awards.

SITUATION
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) created a website designed to be a forum of green information under the name Our Green Community. SMUD had been revamping the site in preparation for reintroducing it to the community and needed an eye-catching advertising campaign to re-launch the site with a splash.  SMUD hired Barcellona to ensure that the campaign would be appealing to its target audience and convey that Our Green Community was the pre-eminent place to gather information on preserving the environment and sharing experiences and questions with other community members. The site was meant to be “for the community, by the community” and the advertising called for a creative look that was drastically different from SMUD’s normal approach.

SOLUTION
Barcellona designed a vibrant and timely campaign that appealed to both older generations and younger, text-friendly generations. The layered campaign featured community oriented radio spots, signs on natural gas powered buses, bus shelter signs, print ads and online banner ads.  The art itself was reminiscent of a nostalgic era that baby boomers could relate to, while the text speak copy reminded viewers that OGC (Our Green Community) is at the fore-front of technology and the environmental concerns of today’s world.

RESULTS
The OGC campaign enjoyed a six week launch, capturing more than 10,000 unique visitors. Within the first three months, average monthly site visits increased 263% increase. The average time spent on the site increased by 12% from pre-flight through the advertising campaign. Direct and referring site traffic totals increased by more than 12.5%, demonstrating an increase in name recognition and recall from site visitors.  The numbers show that Barcellona helped SMUD to successfully capture its audience and engage them in an environmentally conscious exchange. 

SITUATION
The Sheraton Grand Sacramento, a member of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. family of hotels, was set to open in downtown Sacramento, California. It hired Barcellona to handle all pre-event public relations. The hotel’s main distinction is its Public Market Building adjacent to its 26-story hotel tower. Artfully restored by the Sheraton to its former beaux-arts splendor, the Public Market Building was originally built in 1923 to the design and specifications of renowned architect Julia Morgan, who also designed Hearst Castle in California.

SOLUTION
An extensive dissemination list was developed targeting all appropriate media sources on local, state and national levels to match the hotel’s distinct amenities. All information gathered was applied to the creation of a comprehensive public relations critical path, identifying weekly goals in radio, television and print, and culminating with the hotel’s grand opening. Next, strong media relations were actively cultivated, paving the way for radio promotions, television interviews and a variety of print coverage. Timely implementation of media opportunities followed with the dissemination of media alerts, press releases and the Sheraton press kit on local, state and national levels.

The Sheraton Grand Sacramento opened for guests with a “First Guest” radio promotion/contest followed by a wildly successful breakfast affair starring top-rated radio celebrities. Days later, the proverbial red carpet was rolled out for Sacramento dignitaries with an invitation-only unveiling ceremony presided by special guest Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo. Over 300 downtown business people attended the event. The Sheraton Grand party continued when the public was warmly welcomed to a “Roarin’ Grand Time” celebration. Recreating the era of days gone by, the 1920s style event was reminiscent of the original Public Market opening of 1923. Over 1,500 people turned out for a day of old-fashioned entertainment. The grand opening gala, christened “Building A Mystery” was the grand finale, a coup de theatre. Created with an aura of mystique and intrigue, the black tie benefit for the Sacramento Ballet featured TrapezeWorld, a Cirque du Soleil-esque company that choreographed within the atrium of the three-story Public Market Building an extraordinary aerial and acrobatic performance designed specifically for the evening event.

RESULTS
The results are measurable and impressive. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. gave the Sheraton a benchmark of 75 media points to be obtained over the entire year. A media point was given for each headline, story placement, photo or mention of the corporate message in print, radio or television. By May of the launch year, Barcellona had secured well over 300 media points for the Sheraton Grand Sacramento and by October, over 500 points were obtained; exceeding the year’s target goal by over 500 percent. Barcellona won seven industry awards for its grand opening efforts on the Sheraton’s behalf. Because the grand opening activities were so successful, the Sheraton Grand Sacramento retained Barcellona as its agency of record on a continual basis.

SITUATION
Local builder, Treasure Homes was set to debut its first zero energy community in Fallen Leaf at Riverbend—an in-fill project in the Natomas neighborhood of Sacramento.  It sought to educate consumers in its niche green market and attract media attention for its innovative homebuilding product. The struggle was to get buyers past the misperception of expensive, high-tech and untested energy efficient products, especially solar electricity systems. This situation was made even more challenging because of the rapidly declining real estate market and low consumer confidence.  The messages they needed to get across was how living in a zero energy home was just like living in a traditional home except for the economic payoff of having virtually no electric bill and helping the environment. The goal was clear: educate, educate, educate.

SOLUTION
Barcellona’s first task was to create a zero energy information room to illustrate the economic and environmental benefits of the home. The education room used interactive displays, video and signage to present an organized and informative review of the home’s capabilities and potential savings. A heavy public relations push was coordinated to coincide with a grand opening event. Local officials, media representatives and the public alike were invited to come tour the models.

Subsequent research resulted in a strategy to target buyers with a pre-existing affinity for energy efficient products. Barcellona partnered with the local utility to reach out to their energy conscious customer base and other eco-friendly residents via various mediums.

Barcellona helped close out the community by targeting state legislators in addition to others with an affinity for environmentalism who would benefit from the community’s proximity to downtown and its public transportation options. The marketing message challenged consumers to “finish what you started” by standing behind their convictions and taking their pledge to sustainability beyond recycling and riding public transport to work by purchasing a sustainable home.  Clear, concise marketing and narrowly targeted media choices were crucial with the limited budget of this small homebuilder. A strong reliance on strategic public relations also helped Treasure Homes stretch their dollars for maximum exposure. 

RESULTS
The public relations campaign was very successful, securing hits in important local and nationwide publications including the Sacramento Bee, Sacramento News & Review, Prosper Magazine and Builder Magazine, resulting in steady sales. Barcellona also won The Nationals™ award for Best Marketing Campaign for a Green Built Community at the 2008 International Builder Show for its work with Treasure Homes near the close-out stage. Barcellona’s work with Fallen Leaf at Riverbend has had significant impact on the proliferation of zero energy and green home building information in the marketplace. 

SITUATION
Twelve Bridges, located in Lincoln, California, is a master planned community with more than half of its 3,000 acres dedicated to open space. Thirty thousand mature oak trees dot its breathtaking landscape and the land is rich in historical lore. At build-out, the community will boast single- and multi-family homes, commercial and retail uses, parks and schools, civic uses such as fire stations and libraries and a meandering trail system. The community will offer a wide variety of home styles, sizes and price ranges, targeted to first-time, move-up and executive level buyers looking for either production or custom homes.

Although the Twelve Bridges name was highly recognizable as one of Northern California’s premier golf courses, it wasn’t recognizable as a master planned community. Through primary and secondary research, Barcellona discovered that 1) instead of a negative image, Lincoln had no image at all, 2) home buyers weren’t considering Lincoln because they thought it was too far away from Sacramento, 3) the golf course was not a major draw, 4) open space and trails were the major purchase factors, with schools following closely behind.

SOLUTION
The challenge in marketing any new master planned community is that there is nothing to visually show in its infancy. Barcellona viewed this as an opportunity to feature the primary benefit and selling feature of Twelve Bridges – nature.

Our positioning focused on Twelve Bridges being “Closer Than You Think.” This statement reflects the fact that nature can simply be found by opening a front door or looking into a backyard. On a more practical level, it subtly emphasizes that Twelve Bridges is only a few miles down the road from top shopping and entertainment venues as well as major employment centers.

Barcellona created an integrated marketing campaign that incorporated graphic design, print advertising, outdoor, Internet (Website and broadcast emails), radio, collateral materials, a comprehensive signage program, information center and public relations support.

Solid public relations support has kept Twelve Bridges in the public’s eye since the development was first announced – far before the first homeowners moved in. Press releases, feature stories and special events aided in these efforts. Barcellona conceived of and coordinated Twelve Bridges’ grand opening. Called “The Art of Nature,” this event brought hundreds of qualified homeowners to the community during a very busy sports season for a celebration of both art and nature. Kite ballet, art classes, craft making and raptor demonstrations were just a few of the activities during this two-day event.

RESULTS
Twelve Bridges was named Master Planned Community of the Year by the North State Building Industry Association and won 15 more marketing awards for Barcellona.

SITUATION
Lennar Communities, an arm of the largest home builder in the Unites States, had purchased land for development just off I-5 in a former flood plain, adjacent to a major freeway and under the flight path of the Sacramento International Airport. Lennar´s vision was an exclusive, upscale community where the likes of Sacramento Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof would purchase their homes.

Westlake offered the discerning homebuyer a prestigious master planned community with homes upwards of 5,000 square feet. At the heart of this community was an 18.5-acre private lake, Westlake´s signature amenity, complete with a lakeside promenade and interconnecting pedestrian and bike trails, as well as the residents-only Club Westlake.

While million dollar homes were sold within this community, so were homes in the mid to high $300,000s, with the majority of homes sold in this lower range.

SOLUTION
Barcellona developed a brand for Westlake that is classic, simple, and elegant. By design, Westlake was portrayed as understated but elegant – a desirable location for those who want to live amongst millionaires.

Spinning what could be viewed as a potential shortcoming – the freeway proximity and flight plan issue – we instead celebrated the community’s location. We marketed Westlake to individuals who traveled frequently, worked downtown, or even worked in the Bay Area.

Everything designed or created for Westlake was done so with the intent that it be something a homeowner would be proud to display and tell their friends about. From the “coffee table book” brochure to the outdoor jazz barbecue at the grand opening, Barcellona quietly, strategically and effectively built and supported Westlake´s brand through a marketing campaign comprised of a community logo, brochure, print advertising (newspaper and magazine), radio, Website, homeowner newsletter and public relations support.

RESULTS
Not only did the Maloof brothers purchase their homes in Westlake, but several players from the Sacramento Kings did as well. Million dollar homes as well as $300,000 homes sold at a record pace within a cautious economy punctuated by the September 11th tragedy. Westlake was named Master Planned Community of the Year by the North State Building Industry Association , in addition to winning seven other marketing awards for Barcellona and sold out a full two years ahead of schedule.