Introducing Master-Planned Community Avion to Homebuyers in the Denver Market

Without home builder brand recognition and awareness, where do you start marketing a master-planned community? This is exactly the challenge our team faced as we began building a branding and marketing plan for Avion at Denver Connection.

When we worked with Avion, it was all about setting out on a new adventure with a brand-new location and an expanded target audience. After completing the purchase of a home builder, William Lyon Homes aimed to establish itself in Denver and attract new buyers by broadening its product portfolio with an exciting new community. To accomplish these objectives, we created memorable community branding through cohesive design, captivating color and alluring messages centered around the excitement of connections.

Let’s take a look at how Avion came to be and the ways we successfully introduced this flagship master-planned community to Denver homebuyers.

Background

It all started when William Lyon Homes purchased a well-known local and privately owned semi-custom home builder. After doing so, the builder wanted to introduce itself to the Denver market, while broadening its product portfolio to attract first and first-time move-up homebuyers. The result was Avion – a flagship community close to Denver International Airport which featured four new product lines and totaled 698 homes.

Placed in a prime location between downtown and Denver International Airport, Avion offered a fantastic setting to call home in the city of Denver. For homebuyers seeking an easy commute, Avion also provided easy access to the Regional Transportation District light rail as well as major highways. What also made this community appealing was its reasonable price points that made it more accessible for potential homebuyers who prioritized affordability.

Featuring single-family homes and townhomes boasting both traditional and contemporary design, Avion offered homes that could attract a wide variety of homebuyers. Residents of this Colorado community could also enjoy an active lifestyle thanks to Avion’s 40 acres of parks, a 10-acre city park, a dog park, amenities and a spacious community hub for social events.

Target Audience

As we shared this brand-new community with the Denver market, there were three primary target audiences we aimed to attract. These buyers would be looking for exactly what Avion had to offer: a great location, affordable prices and well-sized homes.

Millennials: Young professionals

Blue Collar: Firefighters, police officers, etc., who need to live within the county of Denver.

Price Point Driven Buyers: Single parents, first-time buyers, etc.

Brand Challenge

There were several objectives and challenges faced as we set out to construct a compelling brand strategy for this master-planned community. The first was making a memorable introduction for the builder and their flagship community. To draw attention to Avion, the builder needed to effectively gain recognition and build a name through branding efforts. We aimed to create awareness and establish a strong brand identity for William Lyon Homes, later purchased by Taylor Morrison, as a public builder new to the Denver market.

The builder also wanted to broaden its targeted customers to include first and first-time move-up homebuyers. For these buyer profiles, affordability is a high priority. To create a campaign that resonated with these audiences, we wanted to showcase the community’s offer of attainable homeownership and reasonably priced homes starting in the $200s.

Lastly, the master-planned community had to turn to local industry connections to further its growth. To do so, William Lyon Homes relied on the Realtor community to essentially serve as a land acquisition department.

Key Insight

Not only was Avion a brand-new venture for William Lyon Homes, but it also offered homebuyers searching for the ideal home a thrilling fresh start. With a fantastic location set between Downtown Denver and Denver International Airport, Avion connects the world with the city. Homeowners enjoy easy access to the attractions that make Denver an exciting city to call home. Offering attainable homeownership, an active Colorado lifestyle, abundant outdoor spaces and a community hub for entertainment and socializing, we realized that Avion could be the place where life takes off.

While the community’s location made it a fun place to explore local splendor, residents can also enjoy a place to feel grounded after connecting to the outside world. Homes acted as the perfect place to recharge, relax and rekindle the personal connections with yourself, friends and family. With so many opportunities to come together at Avion, there’s no such thing as a missed connection.

Brand Strategy

To begin forming a brand strategy that could capture these compelling differentiators, we had to select a fitting name for the community. We chose to emphasize the community’s incredible location by drawing inspiration from the iconic Denver International Airport. For the tagline, we created a high-flying theme that speaks to the community’s expectation-exceeding lifestyle – Where Life Takes Off.

We utilized these brand elements to create cohesive messaging centered around connection, travel and new adventures. The concept of “connection” has many meanings, and Avion had the potential to fulfill all of them. Whether it’s a personal connection for wellbeing, interpersonal bonds with loved ones or engaging with your environment, Avion offered endless opportunities to enjoy it all. Our strategy was to position the community as a place with abundant ways to experience a fun lifestyle filled with strong connections at every turn.

A few of the travel-themed taglines we used throughout Avion’s marketing materials to support the community’s underlying identity included:

• “So much of who you are is where you’ve been.”
• “If life is the destination, shouldn’t where you live be a destination in itself?”

Tactics

With strong attention to detail, we ensured the master-planned community had brand consistency. We knew that implementing this cohesive brand identity would be essential for increasing visibility, establishing a strong reputation and gaining new leads. We used a vibrant color palette in a variety of combinations throughout all signage and marketing materials. This helped tie all the elements together while keeping the look and feel continually fresh and highly recognizable.

To give the community a fresh start, the Milesbrand team was responsible for naming the master-planned community, designing a logo and delivering a strong graphic identity. For the logo, we produced a modern text design that incorporated the community’s lively color scheme. We also utilized the bright, mood-setting colors as overlays on the lifestyle photos to further enhance, reinforce and differentiate the community’s brand identity.

To help homebuyers learn more about Avion and become immersed in the community’s lifestyle opportunity, we designed a community brochure. This marketing asset included a cohesive color scheme, intriguing taglines and alluring descriptions of the community’s homes, amenities and location. Our team wrote and distributed community eblasts dedicated to lead acquisition and nurturing. We also created floor plan/elevation renderings to visually showcase the community’s offerings and advertised to homebuyers with well-placed banner ads.

Results

The pre-sale program for Avion began in March 2017, followed by a Grand Opening in August. The community gained an incredible total of 1,162 registered traffic units throughout the project timeline.

Homes at Avion sold faster than the builder could have ever expected due to the community’s well-crafted marketing and advertising strategy. In only a few years, Avion tremendously outperformed their proforma and became one of the top-selling communities in Denver for the entire length of the project!

Our strong creative branding and cohesive graphic design also led us to fantastic national recognition. The Milesbrand team earned a Silver Award at The Nationals for Best Signage & Best Graphic Continuity.

Build a Brand for Your Master-Planned Community that Allows Sales to Take Off

A master-planned community can’t truly achieve its full potential without a compelling brand. Take our word for it – after 30 years of experience in the new home industry, our team knows the transformative power of creating a brand that tells your community’s story and resonates with buyers.

We’ll help you build a comprehensive Go-To-Market Plan that produces an inbound marketing funnel full of qualified leads through targeted automation, innovative digital strategies based on your buyer persona and creative that’s sure to cut through the clutter!