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THE IMPACT OF PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WITH POWERFUL PEOPLE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA GROWTH OLYMPIA DUMBO:

Overview

We were thrilled when Fortis Property Group came to us in need of social media marketing services for their next big project. Standing tall in the heart of Brooklyn, Olympia DUMBO was poised to be a true masterpiece, featuring stunning harbor and New York City skyline views, top-of-the-line amenities, and impeccable design. Our team was eager to dive in and showcase the unique features and benefits of Olympia, and to help build its reputation as the ultimate destination for discerning buyers looking for luxury living. 

The Challenge:

While marketing residences is no new feat for the Social Thrive team, we were faced with the fact that this ultra-premium living experience was being built in an existing, historic neighborhood within Brooklyn. DUMBO, a NYC borough of Brooklyn, was originally home to industrial and warehouse buildings and is now filled with several competing luxury buildings in both Brooklyn  and right across the bridge in Manhattan, all with a lot of attention on them already. It was critical to keep the history of DUMBO alive while showcasing Olympia, and simultaneously spotlighting the exquisitely unique design and upscale features, masterfully created by a team of renowned architects, designers, and real estate developers. 

It is important to understand that these teams (the designers, architects, real estate developers, etc.) all had truly impressive stories and backgrounds. Captions alone could not do justice to their remarkable accomplishments and the hard work they put into Olympia. At the same time, we were also faced with new rollouts in the social media world. New algorithms were favoring video footage and collab tags were becoming increasingly popular. Knowing these new trends, we aimed to capitalize on the extensive following of the popular figures we interviewed. This is what led to our Olympia Interview Series. Knowing the emerging algorithm updates and understanding the stories we had to tell led us to face the ultimate challenge: to communicate their accomplishments in a way that was more than just a scroll past an image and a caption. 

The Strategy:

We reviewed the teams that worked on Olympia and what they each contributed. We asked ourselves what role they played in the formation of this iconic building, and what type of story would capture our audience. We picked settings (keep in mind, the building was very much under construction when we first started), some with views of the city and some within the model units to capture the intricate details. We formatted questions that would best portray the story of our interviewee, while also leaning into the history of DUMBO. These questions consisted of – what team they were on and for how long, why they chose to work on Olympia, what Olympia meant to them, the biggest challenge while bringing this building to life, the history of DUMBO and their favorite part of the neighborhood, and so on. 

The People

#1 on our list was Jonathan Landau. CEO of Fortis Property Group (at the time), Jonathan has an extensive network and deep industry knowledge. He achieved significant success as CEO of Fortis, leveraging important real estate opportunities that he first cultivated while practicing law and has continued to expand through his leadership at the company. 

Notable achievements included developing the first luxury condominium tower in New York’s Seaport District and securing the most desirable redevelopment opportunity in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, to create River Park, the multi-block place-making residential destination. 

With an array of residential accomplishments under his belt, we knew he had a story to tell and would bring Olympia to new heights. 

“This project is a rare opportunity of being able to take a site that was previously a parking lot and turn it into something that is number one beautiful, special, different, and game changing.” – Jonathan Landau in the Olympia Interview Series

#2 + #3: Fredrik Eklund and John Gomes. 

Douglas Elliman’s Eklund-Gomes team along with Sotheby’s International Realty’s Heyman team are marketing sales of the building. You may know Fredrik Eklund from the Bravo reality series, Million Dollar Listing New York. We know him from the Olympia Interview Series. (are we allowed to put emojis in case studies? I would put a wink here lol). The reality television star, entrepreneur and real estate broker was a vital part of the sales of Olympia DUMBO. We knew we had to get him on our interview list! John Gomes, the American luxury real estate broker, entrepreneur, and businessman, founded the Eklund | Gomes Team with Fredrik, and the two became a real estate powerhouse. Asking them about their business partnership as well as their favorite amenity and characteristic of Olympia was important in order to tell their story. 

Describing DUMBO as a utopia is a common theme between these men. “It is this small little spot that has this incredible history,” says John, and landing this project has been a dream come true for the both of them. 

“John and I met 20 years ago, and instantly became best friends. And we based a whole team on friendship,” Fredrik tells us.

– from the Olympia Interview Series

#4 was Adam Widener of the Eklund | Gomes Team. An essential asset to the team with a previous Wall Street background, Adam was born and raised in the suburbs of New York, and the perfect person to paint a picture of DUMBO. 

“Every angle is a different perspective and it really does represent that sail, that Olympia as the old shipyard, the developers, architects and everyone that worked on this project, really tried to emulate, and that was a huge success.” – Adam Widener in the Olympia Interview Series

#5 Jacob Hashimoto. World-renowned, New York based artist Jacob Hashimoto was commissioned to create a captivating artistic centerpiece in the lobby of Olympia. The floating masterpiece was inspired by the DUMBO waterfront and contemplates water and greenery as well as Olympia’s use of natural materials. It was obvious that we had to sit down with the man that made the most welcoming artistic masterpiece that stands the test of time and will visually stun you upon first glance. 

“The artwork really reflects DUMBO and Brooklyn and its visual language. Part of the superpower of the artwork has always been that it adapts itself to its geography. Specific artworks are built for specific locations. I built a whole kind of graphic language out of the textures of the neighborhood.” Jacob Hashimoto in the Olympia Interview Series

#6 Andrew Bowen. Last but not least, we spoke with Andrew Bowen – a partner at ASH and head of their Staging Division. Andrew was the leading force in Olympia’s home staging, specially selecting pieces that create a sense of comfort and luxury in the space, and leave a lasting impression. Interviewing Andrew to gain insight into his design thought process was the cherry on top of this interview series. 

“The goal was to enhance Workstead’s architecture and really speak to its understated luxury,” Andrew Bowen told us. Each piece was hand selected with the buyers in mind, to create a home that people would want to live in for generations to come.” – from the Olympia Interview Series 

Transforming these narratives into a series and publishing them through social media proved to be an effective way of conveying the whole message and enticing the audience. Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text (Forbes.com). Video not only allowed us to narrate each person’s story, but also allowed us to showcase the depth of the building, the intricate craftsmanship, and the overall beauty of the area. We paired this with similar still-photos and captions that coincided with each interview, and that sprinkled into our content to really push our messaging across and leave the audience interested in the next series. 

The Results:

Conducting an interview series for an elevated brand was no easy task. We had storyboards, questionnaires, scheduling (and rescheduling…) of interviews, various b-roll footage, and so on. Once we analyzed the teams and found the right people to interview, we got to filming. 

When comparing engagement of the video interviews to the still photos, there is no doubt that video performed better. These videos received more shares, saves, likes, and comments than the corresponding still photos alone. Take our first interview with Jonathan, for example. His video received 5,272 plays, 148 likes, 3 comments, 28 shates and 21 saves! Compare this to his still photo, which received 89 likes, 12 comments, 13 sends, and 5 saves. Fredrik and John’s video received 1,686 plays, 100 likes, 4 comments, 17 shares and 10 saves, compared to their still photo which received 56 likes, 2 comments, 8 shares and 0 saves. 

Positive comments published to each post, as well as the engagement on each video, prove that the audience enjoyed watching the series and learning more about the team and Olympia. We’re excited to continue utilizing video throughout our campaigns to engage and retain our followers!