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This article first appeared in the PB March 2009 issue of Pro Builder.

Shappell Matchmaker Campaign / Best Internet Marketing Campaign Builder/developer: Shappell Homes, Milpitas, Calif.

Ad agency: Gunn/Jerkens Marketing and Advertising, Long Beach, Calif.
Advertising budget: $60,000

For those on the verge of giving up, there's hope. Prospects can find their perfect match online. And results are practically guaranteed — an online home-buying experience with a builder that's fun, is engaging and will get people talking.
At shapellmatchmaker.com, buyers can take a brief quiz conducted by "Dr. M. Maker" and his four "licensed and bonded matchmakers" representing the four buyer profiles Shappell Homes is targeting: the first-time buyer, newlyweds, the move-up buyer and the empty nester. With smoking jacket and tongue-in-cheek humor, the "doctor" asks users questions such as, "Where do you go to relax?" and "What do you need to feel centered?" to come up with the real answer: the Shappell community that is the perfect match for them.
"We wanted it to be humorous, especially at this time," says Linda Gunn, president of Gunn Jerkens Marketing and Advertising, "something that would make people chuckle, laugh or smile."
The interactive video is funny and well-written. The online component was supported with print, radio, sales office displays and buttons.
"[The campaign] has been very helpful in differentiating them as a builder," says Gunn.

Intro: The 2009 National Sales and Marketing Award Gold Winners

Site Point, Baltimore | Best Attached Community of the Year / Best Urban Sales Office / Best Brochure for a Community Priced over $1 million
Bridgeland, Cypress, Texas | Best Master Planned Community of the Year
The Trails at Brightwater, Huntington Beach, Calif. | Best Detached Community of the Year
Ritz-Carlton Residences Inner Harbor, Baltimore | Best Design for an Attached Community / Best Landscape Design
Miraval Plan 313 at Stapleton Court Homes, Denver | Best Single Family Detached Home Priced $400,000 to $650,000
Five Lanterns at Pinehills, Residence One, Plymouth, Mass., and The Ridge at Cintarosa, Scottsdale, Ariz. | TIED – Best Interior Merchandising of a Model Priced over $1 million
The Ridge at Cintarosa, Scottsdale, Ariz., and Five Lanterns at Pinehills, Residence One, Plymouth, Mass. | TIED – Best Interior Merchandising of a Model Priced over $1 million
Celebrate by Del Webb, Fredericksburg, Va. | Best brochure for a Community priced under $400,000 / Best Marketing Campaign for a Green Built Community
Giraffe Condos, Toronto | Best Overall Ad Campaign / Best Signage
1010 Midtown, Atlanta | Best Color Ad / Best Series of Related Print Ads
Simonini Builders Corporate Brochure | Best Corporate Brochure
MYC Condos, Toronto | Best Brochure for a Community priced $400,000 to $650,000
Artesana Rosewood Residence, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico | Best Black & White Ad
NXT at Windemere by the Lake, Toronto | Best Graphic Continuity
Shappell Matchmaker Campaign | Best Internet Marketing Campaign
'1' Hotel, Mammoth Lakes, Calif. | Best On the Boards Ad Campaign
Additional Gold Award Winners
Judges – 2009 National Sales Marketing Award
PB Topical Ref
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