It is the first time Green Court has been engaged with a 4A agency for branding. The Shanghai-based company was established a decade ago, with properties mainly on the outskirts of Shanghai, and like many other property companies in China, seldom spends money on branding.
"One of the visions of the owner is to provide a greener environment and good quality of life even to lower-end households, hence they are investing money in branding rather than just selling properties," said Josephine Tsai, MD of Bates141 Shanghai, whose team went through a series of interviews with other local and 4A agencies over three months ago.
She added that her key management team all have extensive experience in property advertising accounts and understand the tempo, mindset and "speak the same language" as property owners.
The scope of duties include brand positioning and brand campaigns which would take at least eight months to complete. The initial branding is in print, but Tsai said making internal video for educating their staff is the next important task.