30. Differentiating with brand w/ Justin Choi

Not all brands can be as exciting as electronics, food or apparel. Some are … well, “multi-family real estate” – aka, apartment buildings. But just because your industry isn’t interesting on first glance, it doesn’t mean your brand can’t be. 

Justin Choi is the Director of Marketing at Sequoia, one of the largest property management companies on the West Coast. Sequoia’s motto is “Elevate the everyday,” and its branding definitely follows its own advice by creating a memorable, human brand with a consistent, community-centered story. 

Boasting more than 1,100 organic, unsolicited online reviews of the company with an average 4.5/5-star rating, it’s clear Sequoia is making apartments exciting again. I sat down with Justin to find out more about what it takes to take a brand from commonplace to compelling.

What we discussed:

The factors that motivated Sequoia to separate themselves from the pack The practical steps Justin took to rebrand Sequoia in a way that would appeal to everyone, not just the target demographic How Sequoia guides its storytelling across all levels for brand consistency How Justin has repositioned community-centered marketing events to adapt to Covid-19 restrictions The metrics he and his team use to measure marketing impact