AIM 2019: AIM Video Awards

AIM 2019: AIM Video Awards

It was an honor to be honored at the annual AIM Video Awards, which took place during the 14th Annual Apartment Innovation and Marketing Conference (AIM 2019) at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach on May 5-8. The Awards, which raised $2500 for the Housing Industry Fund (HIF) though entry fees,  were decided by judges

• Eric Clark, formerly with Bainbridge 
• Ashlee Dewalt, VP of Marketing/Training, Nova Asset Management
• Amy Lassers, Regional Manager, Embrey Management Services

who viewed about 30 videos in seven categories.  “These folks were superheroes to go through these videos,” said Pete Regules, Director of Multifamily Products and Services, CORT, who emceed the event. 

The following are the winners in each category: 

1. Summit’s The Greatest Show by Entrata: Best Supplier Partner Video: 
2. Leasie Boys by Alliance Residential Company: Best Training Video entries
3. Aspire Tucson by The Dinerstein Companies: Best AR/VR
4. The Morris + Mardi Gras by LMC: Best Short Form
5. #EnhancingLove by CWS Apartments: Best Amateur
6. Pegasus Residential - We Make Pigs Fly! By Pegasus Residential: Best Brand Marketing
7. Make Your Move by Greystar Real Estate Partners: Best Community Marketing Video

The judges, who graded on metrics that best reflected category goals, also had commented the benefits of videos for providing a range of marketing solutions. Of Pegasus Residential’s brand video, Clark noted that it encapsulated brand development and identified “every potential audience type that you could hit. You could see that being incorporated into new hire training material, a pitch deck if you were going after fee-managed business, or an annual recap of why it’s a great company and place you want to work.”

Since social media is the main channel for delivering these videos to audiences, the judges also has advice for holding their prospects’ attention:

• Limit video length between 45 and 60 seconds. You can try for longer, but as Lassers noted, “The majority of people will probably stop watching at two minutes.”
• Have your name and contact info in the video, but don’t go overboard. “If we’re doing our jobs right,” said Lassers, “you make it easy for whoever’s watching it to contact you.” Do a good job of brand storytelling, suggested Clark, but, “what turns people off is when you over-advertise.”
• Make the experience universal. “We all want our material to end up on other Facebook pages.” said Regules. Lassers agreed, saying, “If your residents really like it, they could share it with their friends. And then who knows how far it will go?”

Possibly the best example of these principles was #EnhancingLove by CWS Apartments, which was literally born on social media. “All the content in this video was generated by their residents,” observed DeWalt. “CWS did a social media campaign ‘Show us what you love about our property.’ Then it was edited by someone who never edited before. It’s amazing.”

Or maybe the best example is The Leasing Office by Rockstar Capital, elected Best in the People’s Choice Award category, for which open voting was conducted online. The Leasing Office garnered more than 6,000 votes for the win. Does that “office work” is the most universal experience or that “The Office” remains one of the best TV shows of all time? Perhaps the answer is: Both.