When a $20B company with 275 apartment communities in 18 markets wanted to reinforce its online branding, Avalon Bay Communities hired 5 Horizons to develop a series of animated ads to be used in direct placements and in Avalon Bay’s programmatic ad campaigns. With three distinct brand personalities, rather than doing a unified single ad as directed, 5 Horizons recommended Avalon Bay dedicate a creative direction to each brand personality.

Goals

• Create online marketing to promote new brand identity and niche products
• Capture attention within clearly defined brand standards
• Complement print efforts designed by our sister company, Triad Advertising

Challenges

• Capture attention in online space
• Execute brand online
• Effectively reflect three distinct brand personalities – Avalon, focused on upscale professionals; Ava, for the modern hipster; and eaves, targeting the value consumer

Approach

• Highlight lifestyle characteristics particular to each brand
• Avalon brand ads center around unique features and earned luxury
• Ava’s unique blend of technology and non-conformity made it fun to play with concepts most brands would shy away from
• For the value consumer, 5 Horizons played with the eaves brand icon to allow the apartment to become the focus of each ad

Outcomes

• Appealing ads reflecting brand standards engaged each audience segment
• Ads ran for more than a year