BAM at the 2017 BILD Awards

12 May 2017 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Awards Tags: , , , ,

Once again, our team had a great time at this year’s annual BILD Awards in late April. The awards – now in their 37th year running! – celebrate excellence in the GTA’s new homes industry, from sales and marketing to design and construction. Our team always enjoys taking an evening to celebrate our accomplishments and to see some of the cool innovations going on in the industry. It’s also a great night to connect with our fellow marketers, builders and developers. It’s always rewarding to be recognized and to take home an award or two, too!

This year, we were honoured and excited to be nominated for several awards:
• Best New Community (Built) – Nuvo, Highmark Homes
• Best Digital Marketing Campaign (Low-Rise) – Triumph, Highmark Homes
• Best Semi/Townhome Design (Large) – The Touch, Triumph, Highmark Homes
• People’s Choice Award – Triumph, Highmark Homes
• Best Rendering (Low-Rise) – Charing Cross, Lancaster Homes

Part of the digital marketing campaign for Highmark Homes’ Triumph in Whitby community.

(You can see all of the 2017 finalists here and all the winners listed here.)

We were proud to join our client Highmark Homes on stage to accept the award for Best Semi/Townhome Design for one of their stylish, modern townhomes at Triumph in Whitby. This has been an extremely successful community – its latest phase is fully sold out – that we worked on developing and marketing with Highmark Homes and architect Hunt Design Associates over the past few years. It brought an innovative new product to the typically traditional and family-oriented Whitby market.

Helping our clients succeed is what we do best at BAM. When they win, we win. We’re proud and grateful for another year of amazing clients and communities. Until next year!

BAM Goes to the NAHB International Builders’ Show

12 Feb 2014 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Thoughts, Trends Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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This past weekend, I embarked on a trip to Las Vegas for the NAHB International Builders’ Show in search of inspiration. What I found was a plethora of new and fresh ideas, and I could not be more ready to tackle the year ahead.

The first part of the event is taking in the new offerings from manufacturers. I got to browse all the latest trends in building and design, and this year there was a big emphasis on new luxuries for kitchens and bathrooms. It seems as though the market is catering to a more luxurious and almost escapist approach. Bathrooms are looking more like spas and kitchens are looking more like restaurants, and it’s creating better experiences for homeowners. We’re in the age of multiple showerheads and jets! One product that stood out for me was a showerhead from Kohler; it had a speaker built in so you can play audio from your handheld device via Bluetooth.

Another thing I noticed is that many Chinese companies are beginning to enter the market. What the Chinese bring are innovative designs at lower prices, ultimately lowering prices of products that are expensive in the current market. This will create more value and selection for homeowners.

Another great thing about the Builder Show is the chance to get a first hand look at the products and trends coming to the GTA. Understanding what is available for GTA homebuilders always helps with pitching projects and encouraging our clients to offer more to consumers.

And lastly, what would a building show be without the seminars. This year we made a special effort to attend as many digital marketing seminars as possible; staying ahead of the curve is very important in today’s always changing and expanding digital market.

As expected, my trip to the International Builders’ Show left me more passionate about this industry than ever, and revved up with new ideas for 2014.

Visit the BAM Facebook page to see a photo gallery from the event.

Fear and Loathing in a St. Martin Sales Office

20 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Thoughts Tags: , , , , , , ,

The Indigo Green sales centre in St. Martin.

The Indigo Green sales office in St. Martin.

My recent vacation to St. Martin wasn’t all pleasure. I took some time to visit a local sales office as a reconnaissance mission. Upon entering the sales office, I was first surprised by the size and, let’s say, lack of quality. As a real estate marketer, I will say that I wasn’t impressed. Inside the sales office, one lone desk sat stagnant in the tiny room. The walls were practically bare and the lighting was dim. The place lacked emotion without any visual stimulation.

There is a point to all this! I was appalled by how horrible the sales experience was for $600,000 homes and visiting this sales office made me think of how well we present and package pre-construction housing here in Toronto.

The market here at home is vastly different; new developments and communities sell fast and before the shovel breaks the soil. As a marketer, this style of buying forces you to deliver your best marketing time and time again. I’m proud to say I’ve contributed to making Toronto the number one pre-construction market in the world. As a result of the technology and strategy we’ve implemented in our campaigns, we sell more homes before they’re built than anywhere else. That stat alone speaks to the caliber of marketing in the Toronto scene.

The way in which Toronto has grown to such a successful pre-construction market is because we offer something extra. We offer touchscreens, scale models, social media and much more, and these interactive marketing materials and showrooms create an experience for homebuyers. We attempt to sell the lifestyle and benefit of new home communities and to educate and excite them. This was solely lacking in my experience in St. Martin. We’ve evolved this way because people like me are always hungry and always searching, traveling and researching our competitors and other markets with the goal to always get better and outdo one another.

Our Clients Empire Communities and Brookfield Residential are Finalists for 5 CHBA Awards!

13 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Awards Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’m proud to announce that our clients Empire Communities and Brookfield Residential are finalists for 5 Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) National SAM awards this year.

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First, Orchard Ridge Homes and Brookfield Residental’s Treetops community is nominated for Best Project Signage and Logo, Best Website and the prestigious Marketing Excellence Award.

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Empire Communities is nominated for the highly coveted Green Home Award for their Manhattan model at Imagine, a new home community in Niagara Falls which we opened for Empire this year, and which is also up for Best Project Signage and Logo.

The Manhattan home showcases Empire Communities’ latest green initiative: geothermal technology! Geothermal energy can save homeowners up to 80 per cent in total heating and cooling costs over traditional home energy costs, and is offered as an option on all new homes at Empire’s Imagine community as part of a progressive new green initiative on their part.

Both clients are familiar with winning; Brookfield won the Marketing Excellence Award from CHBA last year for their Pathways in Caledon East community which we marketed, and Empire won the ENERGY STAR for New Homes Builder of the Year at the EnerQuality Awards in 2011 and was again nominated in 2012, demonstrating that they’re industry leaders when it comes to green home building.

I always enjoy these types of posts and seeing my clients and employees recognized for their success and hard work. Each time a client of ours is nominated, it’s a testament to the great things we do at BAM and to our clients’ hard work and dedication to building and providing Ontario families the best homes possible.

Congratulations again to Brookfield Residential and Empire Communities. (You can see all the finalists here.)

Go BAM go!

The Inner Workings of a Well-Oiled Machine

06 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Strategies Tags: , , , , , ,

Bam - A Well-Oiled Machine

While I may be the face of BAM, it’s truly our team who make BAM successful. I was recently reading an article about workplace culture, and couldn’t help but compare what I read to what we have at BAM.

When running a company like BAM, everything begins with strategy. Coming up with unique brands for our clients requires unique marketing and this is what I am passionate about. We have a great team of dynamite people and a great collaborative environment where people can work together, use their strengths and skills to advance projects and learn from each other. I am a firm believer that great people attract great people.

At BAM, we’re always looking to do things better for our clients using our previous accomplishments as the benchmark. For employees, the satisfaction comes from the freedom and autonomy they deserve while being set up with the proper tools and resources to succeed. My job is to champion the strategy and inspire my team to meet their goals.

Culture is king at BAM. We strive to have a great work environment and whether it’s giving employees the flexibility to allow their personal lives not to suffer, having an open concept and collaborative environment, or organizing work outings, I know a satisfied staff is key to our success.

As a small company, there is plenty of room for everyone to grow and learn. We encourage our staff to take courses to further their knowledge; we attend trade shows, speeches and conferences to stay ahead of the curve. Encouraging our clients to offer the very best experience and community requires the very best marketing resources and a team that’s passionate about what they do.

While challenges are an inherent part of the BAM culture, we understand that they are a part of life and one’s bound to run into them when trying new things, and we push forward. It’s the teamwork and trust in one another that helps BAM succeed.

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