Minto receives international recognition for marketing innovation in new community building.

A success story
Minto Communities is a family-owned, fully integrated real estate development and construction company with operations in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and South Florida.

Highlighting a savvy digital strategy and a consumer-first approach to marketing, Minto took home three gold and 16 silver awards Tuesday night at the prestigious National Association of Home Builders 2015 National Sales and Marketing Awards.

The awards highlight the real estate industry’s most innovative and competitive marketing and sales programs from across the globe. Hosted annually in Las Vegas, Tuesday’s ceremony marked the 35th year of the awards.

“The awards recognize the best-of-the-best internationally and this year, we’ve seen outstanding out-of-the-box thinking from our Canadian partners. Minto is simply outstanding. Their over-the-top creativity and exceptional marketing strategies are a testament to their leadership in the industry,” says Christy N. Beck, Chair of the Nationals 2015 Awards for the NAHB National Sales & Marketing Council.

Among the award highlights, Minto Yorkville Park took home gold for Best Advertising Campaign. Judges praised the project’s bold, luxe campaign aesthetic, which translated to over 5,000 registrants, fueling the preview launch and selling out 55 per cent of the project.

Awarded gold for best Digital Marketing Campaign, Minto’s record-breaking Longbranch was recognized for exceptional community engagement. The campaign creatively leveraged social channels to drive traffic to the Longbranch sales centre, stimulating over 350 sales in less than one year.

“An aggressive digital strategy is essential to remain competitive in today’s marketplace. For us, this means rethinking everything from customer engagement, product design, and development, in addition to marketing and sales,” says Natascha Pieper, Director of Marketing for Minto Communities.

With an exceptional portfolio of standout projects, including Yorkville Park, with its unparalleled location and luxurious design; Kingmeadow, Durham Region Home Builders’ Association Community of the Year; Orchard Park, which sold over 262 homes in less than one year; and Longbranch, it’s not surprising that Pieper was recognized by the NAHB with a silver award for Marketing Director of the Year.

Minto is known as a trailblazer in sustainability practices, so it came as no surprise that MintoLongbranchwas also awarded gold for Best Marketing of a Green/Sustainable Program. Longbranch was recognized for its ability to cater marketing literature to the target buyer’s core values, converting interest to sales on the premise of the community’s exceptional sustainability features. Minto also won three silver awards in the same category for additional projects.

These awards add to an ever-growing list of sustainability awards from organizations such as BOMA Canada, the Canada Green Building Council, and the Green Toronto Awards. Minto was recognized inboth 2012 and 2014 as the OHBA’s Home Builder of the Year, an award that has a significant sustainability component, and in 2013 as BILD’s Low-Rise Green Builder of the Year.

To-date, Minto has qualified approximately 3,000 low-rise homes under the ENERGY STAR® standard and Minto Yorkville Park is set to become the company’s 15th LEED® certified building.

“We take a really hands-on approach to marketing, following a consumer goods model, which is unique in our industry,” says Amanda Wilson Watkins, VP of Marketing and Sales for Minto Communities. “I think this award speaks to the unique vision that we develop for our projects, and execute strategically with our consultants. We align our marketing strategy with the needs of our customers. Studying analytics is a big part of that as well.”