Page 38 - IBT August 2021 Issue
P. 38

Real Estate Industry


                                                                                                      August 2021





                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        re-thinking the role of marketing in the real
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        estate industry of the country. Nothing beats the   Speaking of the widening user base, how has
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        feeling of seeing how Bproperty is setting a     Bproperty upgraded its services to ensure enhanced
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        benchmark and evoking the charm of creativity in   user experience and efficient communication?
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        the marketing practices of the real estate industry   Our style has changed, somewhat. We now cater to a wider
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        of Bangladesh.                                   audience with a wider set of interests because, who doesn’t
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         want property? We focus on the needs of the people, as
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2021 began with the hope for a rebound of        always, but are now emphasizing on letting people know
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        the real-estate sector. Unfortunately, the       better what their needs are and the fact that we are here to
             Breaking                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   assess the aggregate demand in the               expanded our communications along with our audience to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        pandemic situation has not improved as
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         solve any and all their property related questions. We have
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        much as we have hoped for. How would you
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         ensure no one feels left out and everyone understands clearly
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        industry compared to last year?
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         what real estate means and what is capable through it. Our
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        In complete honesty, there has been very little
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         inclusion of the Bproperty app now allows everyone to access
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        negative effect. People who are fond of real
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         our database of properties, information and entertainment at
             Barriers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   estate, who truly see its value and potential, are   all times, from one single location. Aware and confident people
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        undeterred by the pandemic’s presence. Yes, 2020
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         are the lifeblood of any business, and Bproperty is always
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        saw a dip in the real estate scene. It was the first
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         widening its field to encompass more people and enlighten
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        time people were exposed to such a drastic event
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         them.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        and questions arose in many forms, but since
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        then, people have learned a lot. They have
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        remembered that the price of property always
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         country's largest virtual property fair with an
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         overwhelming response. Can we expect something
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        goes up! And that is the wagon that everyone     Last year, Bproperty successfully organized the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        wants to be a part of.                           similar this year?
             Mahzabin Chowdhury, Head of Marketing and Public Relations of Bproperty, opens                                                                                                                                                                             The demand for real estate in 2021 is great. We   We have a lot of things planned for the remainder of the year.
             up about her journey, the state of the real estate sector in the post-pandemic world                                                                                                                                                                       still see high demand when we look at our        We are relentless with our campaigns as we always want our
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         followers and patrons to stay engaged with us. We are ever so
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        statistics. As for compared to last year, we
             and helping people to make wiser decisions through knowledge sharing                                                                                                                                                                                       currently see a growth of nearly 36% in demand   grateful for the response we met last year and though a virtual
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        since quarter 4 of 2020. It’s very reassuring that   property fair is not in the pipeline, we are fully prepared for it
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        through the thickest of things, and though there   if we feel the demand is real. The lockdown is almost at an
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        may be bumps in the road, real estate is a sector   end, hopefully, and we would love to begin deploying physical
             Tell us a little bit about yourself - work        the way businesses work with marketing and that is when I                                                                                                                                                of consistency.                                  fairs at our Marketplaces if the opportunity arises. But apart
             experience, educational background,               decided to shift my focus and start working directly with                                                                                                                                                                                                 from that, there are other plans in motion that time will
             achievements, particular hobbies or special       Brand Marketing and PR management. I switched to working                                                                                                                                                 Although Bproperty had a strong foothold         reveal.
             interests. How has your role at Bproperty         for an IT and ITES provider company, managing their Branding                                                                                                                                             in the country before the pandemic hit, it
             helped you grow professionally?                   and PR activities, organizing local and international events,                                                                                                                                            was primarily popular among a niche              As a marketing professional in one of the most
             I’m an enthusiast – about food, family, travel and   and eventually I was swayed to the world of advertising with                                                                                                                                          segment of the population. How much has          dynamic industries in the world, how has the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        the mass digital adaptation catalyzed by
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         experience of dealing with sharp changes in consumer
             work. So when it came to deciding what to do with   all its creativity and connection aspects.                                                                                                                                                             the pandemic diversifying Bproperty's user       behavior been for you?
             my life, I thought about making others enthusiastic   My short but spellbinding advertising career has allowed me to                                                                                                                                       base?                                            Consumer behavior is different in every field. But it’s a very
             about things. Here I am, a brand marketer. The    learn and work in a lot of different industries with different                                                                                                                                           Bproperty has always believed in the use of the   interesting field, real estate. You learn something new almost
             decision began when I started my major in Marketing   brands. But most importantly, it gave me the opportunity to                                                                                                                                          digital medium and technology to further the     every day. I take that to mean I get to apply something new
             at the Umea Business School. Umea gave me a global   work with talented strategists, writers, designers, directors,                                                                                                                                        needs of the real estate scene and the people    every day. The more knowledge we share with people, the
             perspective and also contributed to me building a   musicians and many creative minds. These creative people                                                                                                                                               involved, be them buyers, tenants or landlords.   more aware they become of their requirements. What this does
             sustainable career in the future. As I gained first   have been inspiring and their thought process, philosophies                                                                                                                                          From the beginning, it was our storefront – the   over time is shift demand from one place to another. And we
             hand experiences with marketing topics, I was quite   and creative thinking have provided a great boost on my                                                                                                                                              medium through which we most provided            can see this when we breakdown statistics. For example,
             decisive about my personal passion for this certain   journey as a marketer.                                                                                                                                                                               information, both product and industry wise. We   where one person wanted a small place in Banani, they now
             field.                                            Bproperty certainly helped me to best utilize my skills and                                                                                                                                              began with our website, delved into social media,   want a more comfortable property in Niketan. What I mean is,
             My career started as a Lecturer with a mission to   experiences in brand marketing with a bigger scope, and I                                                                                                                                              and are now making everything available on our   the more you know about what you need and what is available
             share my knowledge and keep myself on the path for   have grown more, both personally and professionally. Time                                                                                                                                             app. As the pandemic hit and the dependency on   in the market, the more narrowed down your decisions
             higher studies. But soon I realized that the Marketing   invested in this company has molded me into a mature team                                                                                                                                         digital media increased, we were very much       become. So though the question is about drastic changes in
             domain was changing at a remarkable pace and to be   worker, and taught me how to be adaptive to all challenging                                                                                                                                           unimpacted in practice. But as a result, traffic to   consumer behavior, I don’t see it that way. I am essentially the
             with the times, as they say, I had to jump into the   situations. Moreover, Bproperty has given me the platform                                                                                                                                            our portals has increased dramatically, by nearly   one teaching people about how their behavior should be
             field directly. The frequently evolving behavioral   where I am able to work well both in a team environment as                                                                                                                                            31%. What did and does this mean for us is that   according to their desires balanced with their opportunities.
             patterns of consumers, the innovation of new      well as using my own initiatives. Here, we have a shared                                                                                                                                                 we have more insight, more opportunity, and      It’s an amazing setup that teaches them about real estate
             technologies and the media landscape are changing                                                                                                                                                                                                          subsequently, more patrons to satisfy.
                                                               dream to deliver exponential growth to the brand by                                                                                                                                                                                                       while continuing to teach me about being a better marketer.

             36
   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43