The Mindset Shift

Property marketing is evolving rapidly. Yet in many organisations, the perception of marketing hasn’t kept pace with the reality of the role.

We formed a steering group of senior marketing leaders, from across the property industry, to discuss our role and impact. These are the five key takeaways from that discussion.

1. Marketing isn’t an add on

Marketing is still too often treated as the finishing layer – wheeled in once the major decisions have already been made. As a result, it can be undervalued and underrepresented at a senior level. Jasmine Dillon from Hines summed this up well:

“It’s important that people outside the marketing department really understand it can add value. Early engagement of the marketer shapes a place’s vision, leading to a narrative that is more authentic.”

When marketing is involved early, it creates genuine connections and commercial value. And, as Frankie Hawken from Prologis notes, the value of marketing often sits beyond the
visible campaigns:

“There’s such a breadth of work that comes from the marketing function. It’s not just the big show-stopping campaigns – it’s the unseen things that all stuck up to add value.

In other words, the days of the “brochure department” ended long ago. The opportunity now is to recognise marketing as a strategic contributor from the outset.

2. Take a step outside the ‘Property World’

The property industry can be inwardly focused. Our language, processes and judgement are primarily shaped by our deep integration within the sector. Perhaps we need to spend more time looking out the window? Consider who we’re really making decisions for – not internal stakeholders but the audiences we’re aiming to serve?

Placing greater value on insight helps shift this dynamic. Evidence gives marketers the confidence to challenge assumptions and influence decisions with authority. As Misa von Tunzelman at Lendlease observed:

“In other organisations I would not spend the money we spend without much better insight. I wouldn’t be allowed to.”

Without insight, decisions revert to opinion. With it, marketing can create work that is confident, stands out and far more likely to deliver meaningful results.

3. We’re the editors, not the authors

Thankfully the era of “anywhere-ville” is behind us. Places with distinctiveness, character and identity perform better – both commercially and culturally. Authenticity is often cited as a defining ingredient. Forbes reports that 90% of customers say authenticity influences which brands they like. Emma Shone from Moda explains how this informs their brand:

“When you’re creating places and building communities, it’s those individual stories from the people living there that drive the value.”

Our role as marketers is not necessarily to invent those stories – but to uncover, curate and amplify them. In many ways, we are editors rather than authors.

4. Keep up with change – and prove what works

AI, channel fragmentation and the pace of digital innovation are reshaping the marketing role at remarkable speed. It’s not just property marketers feeling this shift. Research from Salesforce shows that 91% of CMOs believe they must continually innovate to remain competitive. But innovation alone isn’t the goal. Measurement matters just as much.

Digital marketing gives our industry something it hasn’t always had: clear, trackable data.

From campaign performance and lead generation to audience behaviour and engagement data, marketers now have far more evidence to demonstrate the value of their work.

Harnessing this data and speaking confidently about it is a critical skill. It changes the conversation internally and allows teams to move discussions away from subjective preference and towards informed decision-making.

5. Encourage intelligent risk-taking

Marketing is one of the few disciplines within the industry where calculated risks can deliver disproportionate rewards.

Too often we anticipate what senior stakeholders might approve of, leading us to refine ideas to avoid friction, resulting in work that feels safe and familiar, rather than bold and audience-led.

As behavioural economist Rory Sutherland explains: “It is much easier to be fired for being illogical than it is for being unimaginative. The fatal issue is that logic always gets you to exactly the same place as your competitors.”

Because the brands, places and destinations that resonate strongest are rarely the result of purely logical thinking. Quite the opposite. They emerge out of curiosity, creativity and the confidence to try something new.