Given shifting market conditions, project marketing is now more important than ever. Neoscape is a creative studio with 25 years of marketing expertise, partnering with a range of clients from around the world. BLDUP recently sat down with Chief Creative Officer and Partner, Rodrigo Lopez to discuss how the firm's diverse range of services spanning every creative discipline can provide a full suite of services to craft stories that uniquely capture their client’s vision. 

BLDUP: Tell us what you mean when you describe your firm "storytellers and problem solvers"? 

Rodrigo Lopez: Neoscape began as a content creation studio, and while content remains a key component of our offering, we have always focused on making sure that it’s created and delivered with purpose and intention. Our task is to arm clients with the tools they need to facilitate conversations, which in real estate, is what ultimately drives decision-making. Stories are the ideal vehicle for this because they allow us to connect people to properties and places in engaging ways — whether it’s a single image or brand story, or an entire suite of materials. 

Problem solving plays a key role in how we go about creating the work, which always starts with the question “what makes this space, this building, this neighborhood unique?’ In marketing of any kind, this is always the challenge you’re trying to solve for, and being being solution-oriented, along with a good dose of curiosity, is essential to finding the best answer.

BLDUP: The world of Architectural Visualization (Archviz) is ever-changing and evolving as technology improves, this presents unique opportunities for Neoscape clients. How are you leading the way in embracing technology?

Rodrigo Lopez: Neoscape has the most comprehensive behind-the-scenes technical infrastructure in the industry. This backbone includes a professional green screen stage and one of the largest private server farms in the visualization industry. Additionally, our artists consistently work on the bleeding edge of technology, always testing and in some cases developing new tools to deliver assets at the highest level of quality in the most efficient way possible. For our clients, this technical prowess assures the highest quality production values and redundancy which precludes delays in project execution.

BLDUP: Neoscape is also a leader in utilizing in-house technology, not outsourcing pieces of projects. Talk to us about how this full-service approach benefits your clients.

Rodrigo Lopez: We are proud to be a full-service creative studio that has an exclusively in-house team made up of subject matter experts across the marketing spectrum, from band and strategy, through design and production, to marketing deployment and management. This organizational structure allows us to operate with a high level of creative freedom since we have the skills needed to iterate and explore new storytelling ideas that may require technology or knowledge beyond traditional design. It also gives us a strategic advantage as the collaboration between our teams means we are able to consider the full spectrum of results-focused use cases for any given asset or deliverable. 

BLDUP: Shifts in market conditions over the past 12 months present opportunities for creative materials to showcase projects like never before. What are you doing to respond to current market needs?

Rodrigo Lopez: In the current market, we have more and more clients reaching out to us for outside-the-box ideas to help their projects stand out in a tough market. The solution we develop is highly dependent on the client and the circumstances - investing in that intention, up-front strategy and creative ideation is really what allows us to come to the table with new, innovative concepts for clients.

BLDUP: What are you recommending to your clients midway through 2023 that their creative must include to get their projects noticed?

Rodrigo Lopez: The biggest challenge facing our clients across the board is increased competition in markets that are often saturated. Commercial properties have seen a slowdown in leases and residential properties are also feeling the squeeze as residents move toward lower-cost options and geographies, decreasing their potential target audience. To help our clients meet their leasing goals, we are recommending highly tailored marketing materials built with intention around a brand promise that their target audience will be excited about. Rather than trying to be all things to all people (think a huge range of amenity spaces and options), we recommend focusing on a few key differentiators to ensure a quality experience (like a few key amenities that are well-planned and activated). This often requires a bit more up-front thought and strategic ideation so that everything we build is intentional.

BLDUP: Tell us about a favorite project (or exciting upcoming project), how Neoscape collaborated with the project team, and the benefits to the client.

Rodrigo Lopez: We have an exciting upcoming project with Skanska that will be launching in a few months! Recently, we also completed an exciting residential project in Washington DC, Margarite, with Grosvenor. We loved working closely with the team to develop a brand and assets for this luxury residential development that felt rooted in the history of the area while maintaining a modern, highly-curated feel. Another favorite project of ours will always be Pathway by King Street. We worked with our client, King Street Properties, to develop an umbrella brand that was dynamic enough to apply to all new campuses that rolled out and will continue to roll out under that brand. Currently, two campuses and their subbrands are active, and our ongoing marketing campaigns and production materials have already led to several high-profile leases at these sites.