All property developers are liars?

Although I am a veteran marketer myself, being a liar has never crossed my mind.

In his book, Godin talks about “the power of telling authentic stories in a low-trust world”.

I know not everyone who read my posts agree with what I say.

But I’m not a property developer, real estate marketer, property agent, conveyancing lawyer or mortgage banker.

I’m not selling you a get-rich-quick book, or a property investment seminar.

And I don’t even bother about generating revenue from this blog.

That’s why I am free to say what I believe, without having to look at the bottom line or worrying too much about ‘being liked’.

Of course, I understand exactly what kind of messages can please the most audience, drive the most traffic and sign up the most followers.  Yes, those ‘conventional wisdoms’ that you always hear from people around:

– Buy HDB first, then upgrade to a condo, before settling in a landed home.

– Freehold is better than leasehold.

– Anytime is a good time to buy.

– Properties prices will always go up in the long-term.

– The market cannot collapse because of demand from foreigners.

– Mickey mouse units is the trend in the future.

They may not be the truth.  But they make up what an average Singaporean’s ‘view’ on properties.

Godin said in ‘All Marketers are Liars’,

Identify a population with a certain worldview, frame your story in terms of that worldview and you win.

A worldview is not what you are. It’s what you believe.  It’s your biases.

A worldview is not forever.  It’s what the consumer believes right now.

That’s why you see property ads in TV or local papers with images completely irrelevant to the development:

– A young family running at the beach;

– A sexy lady swimming or resting by the pool;

– A group of yuppies sipping wine in a bar; or

– Two well-dressed Caucasians overlooking the fantastic night view.

The reality is:

– The condo is most likely far from the beach, with a pool too small and frequented too often by too many noisy kids.

– Your unit most likely comes with a blocked view.  Its size makes it unrealistic to fit in a bar counter.

– Expatriates are most likely not interested to move into an area inhabited mostly by locals.

But developers are selling you a dream, not a commodity.

And because it’s a consumer’s fantasy, they are not obliged to tell just the boring facts, but inclined to expand your imagination with an ‘artist’s impression’ in an abstract wonderland.

As what Godin said,

Successful marketers are just the providers of stories that consumers choose to believe.

I would like to end this post with a comparison of property launch advertisements in the Singapore papers in 1985-6 versus 2012.

Come take a good look and let me know what you think.