Collaboration between real estate developers and social media influencers

Photographers with Influencer status were invited to the Sutton Tower skyscraper in New York to take pictures and post them on social media. The main object of interest for the developers was the target audience of Influencers, who are offered the opportunity to live in luxury residential buildings in exchange for publications.

One Tuesday at dawn

Photographers began gathering in the lobby of the Sutton Tower skyscraper in Upper East Manhattan, which is still under construction. By the time the sun rose over the Manhattan skyline, 30 photographers were already shooting in the penthouse, creating social media content for a combined audience of nearly two million followers.

Marketers have been chasing trends

for several years now

Marketers have been chasing trends for years that can shape consumer behavior with their recommendations, and Influencers are capitalizing on that demand by trading targeted publications for the privilege. This also applies to real estate, where celebrities sell hashtagged images of luxury condominiums in exchange for expense reimbursements and various gifts. But now the terms of those deals are changing. Today, exchanges are more secretive and cash rarely changes hands. Instead, developers simply offer targeted Influencers access to their buildings, and in return, they get a direct connection to a smaller audience.

Photographers, musicians and others are increasingly linking their Instagram and TikTok accounts to developers of various skyscrapers across the country

Photographers, musicians and others are increasingly linking their Instagram and TikTok accounts to developers of various skyscrapers across the country. For some, especially those who used to have to make the effort to get into Manhattan's most exclusive buildings, all they have to do is gain access through the front door.

"You're definitely providing free advertising," said Gregory Berg, a freelance photographer with nearly 60,000 followers on Instagram, where his photos regularly showcase skyline views and unique angles. He was invited to Sutton Tower along with other photographers with a modest number of social media followers, and happily accepted the invitation despite his early morning arrival.

Recommendations from trusted Influencers can carry much more weight than traditional advertising

Recommendations from trusted Influencers can carry much more weight than traditional advertising. According to a study by Matter Communications, 61 percent of those surveyed said they tend to trust influencer recommendations more than content created by the brand itself.

The photographers at Sutton Tower received no remuneration for their time other than coffee and a modest breakfast. They all understood that they could keep all of their photos, but they were expected to post at least a few of them on their social media accounts with hashtags and geotags so their followers could learn about the building.

The interest of each other and the organizer in this deal has solidified

The complimentary interest in each other and the organizer in this deal has solidified, and it's become the new standard in many cases, says Dan Tubb, director of sales at Towers of the Waldorf Astoria. In anticipation of the facility opening in 2024, Mr. Tubb regularly works with social media stars, a strategy he believes has a "tremendous, visible effect" on the number of inquiries and sales.

Waldorf is actively recruiting Influencers into its marketing strategy

Waldorf is actively engaging Influencers in its marketing strategy starting November 2019.

In that time, the number of followers on their Instagram has increased by 32 percent, they make more than 1.5 million views on social media according to a spokesperson for the company.

In May, the Waldorf brand invited Aycedeniz Gokcin, a Turkish pianist with 105,000 followers on Instagram, to an event. She traveled to New York to shoot a video of herself playing a historic original Steinway grand piano standing in the sales gallery of the Waldorf Hotel. She was joined by Turkish singer Kaan Sekban, with more than 500,000 followers on Instagram, and together they sang Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York".

Influencer marketing is a $24 billion industry.

Influencer marketing is a $24 billion industry, spanning TikTok, Instagram and Facebook for more than a decade, and beauty, fashion and sports brands have reason to be the earliest and most excited adopters of the technology. Meanwhile, the real estate marketplace drove the relationship largely through traditional advertising channels such as print marketing and outdoor advertising.

But during the pandemic, the trend took hold in Florida, where the approach to COVID-19 restrictions was looser than in other states, and where the arrival of new residents - nearly 1,000 per day in the early months of the pandemic, by some estimates - led to a boom in luxury real estate construction and sales. In 2021, the number of multifamily properties sold in South Florida totaled $11.4 billion, more than double the previous sales record of $5.5 billion in 2016.

Some developers are enlisting the help of influencers from the local community

Some developers, especially in neighborhoods where their luxury projects can drive up rents, are enlisting the help of community influencers, paying them consulting fees in exchange for positive publicity.

The Domain Companies, developer of Estela, a complex of two luxury apartment buildings in the South Bronx, has hired local artist and entrepreneur Amuri Grullion, with 49,000 followers on Instagram, to organize real-life meetings with businesses in the area. The goal is to find businesses in the area and form a partnership with them so that Estela is seen as a community. Grullion's snapshots of local businesses play a key role in this.

Grullion, who would love to get a discount on housing at Estela when it opens in 2023, opposes the term "gentrification." He argues that working with the developer-presents an opportunity for Native residents to use neighborhood changes to their advantage.

"We deserve beautiful things in our neighborhoods," he said. "We've seen this done in the past with failed developer developments. So we're changing the overall view and focusing the company on the community advantage. "

Domain CEO Matthew Schwartz said such a partnership was an obvious move. "We go into a neighborhood, and right there is an Influencer who has a small business that promotes the neighborhood. We always strive to create a positive impression.".