Sir Buckley Doodle routinely tags his home, Chicago’s Spoke Apartments, in his Instagram posts.Spoke Apartments
Apartment communities have avidly competed with each other for renters since Hector was a pup. What’s new today is the increasing tendency for every dog to have its day in luxury rental property social media marketing. The growing appeal of pet amenities at many newer apartment buildings has prompted developers and property managers to use socially-connected canines to not only spread the word about their brands, but to build rapport among residents who are dog owners or simply dog lovers.
It’s long been known that on social media, dog postings consistently prompt some of the very highest levels of engagement.
“People seem to love posting about their dogs even more than posting about themselves,” says Rob Bond, president of Bond Companies, co-developer of new Chicago luxury rental community Spoke Apartments as part of the Morgan Bond Company. “These connections we create on social media not only tell us that residents and their pets feel welcome and like what we have to offer. They also offer a genuine glimpse of what pet owners can expect from life at Spoke.”
Recently unveiled in Chicago’s River West neighborhood, the 363-unit Spoke Apartments numbers among its residents Sir_Buckley_Doodle, a dog who routinely tags the apartment building in his Instagram posts. Those posts range from videos of him playing with his friends at the covered dog run to thanking the Spoke management team for anointing him “Pet of the Month.” While Buckley has no formal partnership with Spoke, his owner is among the cohort of social-media-savvy renters leveraging Instagram to relate their pets’ daily lives.
Daisy chain
Among those social pets who do have official capacities with their apartment communities, one of the top dogs is Daisy the house pooch at NEXT, a Fifield Cos.-developed 310-unit luxury apartment building in Chicago’s hip and ultra-popular River North enclave.
The adorable Newfoundland adroitly handles a number of official duties, including greeting visitors, playing with resident families, accompanying prospects on tours of the property and, last but not least, posting about her days at NEXT on her Instagram account, daisyatnext. Those posts often focus on her dog pals at NEXT, giving the apartment community’s dog owners all the reason they need to follow and engage with her on the social media platform.
Daisy, the house dog at upscale apartment community NEXT in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, regularly updates her fans with Instagram posts at daisyatnext.NEXT
“Daisy’s unconditional love and acceptance of everyone is contagious and helps set the tone for life at NEXT, where management and ownership focus on creating community and cultivating opportunities for shared experiences,” says Randy Fifield, chairwoman of Fifield Cos. “Her caring spirit captures the hearts of all who meet her, making her an integral part of the NEXT family in the building, as well as on social media.”
Goldens opportunity
Not to be outdone, the management company Bozzuto partnered with Goldens_Of_Chicago to spotlight dog-friendly amenities during the pre-leasing period at its 465 N. Park, a 444-unit building in Chicago’s near north Streeterville neighborhood. An Instagram story and posts spurred 1,500 likes from the account’s 57,000 followers.
“In developing our social campaigns and our goals for building brand awareness during pre-leasing, working with @Goldens_Of_Chicago was a perfect fit for us,” says Danielle Cook, the apartment community’s general manager.
“Bozzuto communities truly value our furry residents as part of the family, so reaching out to an equally pet-loving and captive Chicago audience while working with @Goldens_of-Chicago was a win-win. They helped us bring a fresh, fun perspective to promoting not only all of our pet-friendly amenities, but also the pet-friendly environment and culture our communities offer.”