DALE Alcock Homes has returned to mainstream advertising ahead of an expected slowdown in the housing market in six months’ time.
DALE Alcock Homes has returned to mainstream advertising ahead of an expected slowdown in the housing market in six months’ time.
According to Dale Alcock Homes manager, sales and marketing, Mike Russell, the company has shied away from mass marketing because it was struggling to meet demands of a buoyant housing market.
“At a Housing Industry Association meeting last week they said figures were up, and when levels are up it doesn’t matter what we do, if there are not enough brickies there aren’t enough brickies,” Mr Russell said.
“That’s why you haven’t seen Dale Alcock advertising, because we don’t want to sell more than we can deliver.
“We’re looking six months ahead and we think that it will be a normal marketplace in six months, and we want people to buy a new house from us.”
Starting last weekend, the press and television advertising aims to convince homebuyers to build a new home rather than buy an existing property.
“The new campaign is to bring a point of difference and attack the established home market,” Mr Russell said.
“We’re a major player in the new home market but we’re just 1 per cent of the total market in turnover sales. 80 per cent of homes changing hands are second hand homes, 20 per cent are new homes.”
He said marketing a complete lifestyle package would provide consumers with a good reason to build a home from scratch.
“Its marketing our lifestyle product, which is all the extras that people dream about but would not get in a second hand house. It’s going beyond bricks and mortar and into the overhead projectors and home theatre systems,” Mr Russell said.
“The two main reasons why people don’t build is location and time. There’s not a lot we can do about that but we can ask which compromise they want to take.”
The campaign will also provide a marketing point of difference between Dale Alcock Homes and its competitors in the new homes market, according to Mr Russell.
“About 12 years ago we pioneered the complete home package, offering carpets and so forth. That was when our market was first homebuyers and they didn’t buy new homes because they thought the couldn’t afford to finish it off,” Mr Russell said. “Our current market is the second home buyers and it’s providing things like dishwashers. It seems obvious but no-one does it. So we are helping people get away from having to spend time looking for the right product.”
The ads, developed by 303 Advertising, will feature on television and newspapers but the length of the campaign is under wraps.
