Brea-based Shea Homes is trying to sell more homes by not focusing on sales.
The homebuilder, part of Walnut-based J.F. Shea Co., said it has seen a response from consumers when it acts more like a resource about home buying than as a company trying to sell homes.
That’s why it has started an application that will let people find homes from their iPhones.
The homebuilder’s “app” allows buyers to browse Shea’s projects to see what is available, look at floor plans and pictures and get information about specials.
Shea has been shifting its marketing to the Internet as more customers have turned to the Web for information about homes.
“When we reported news about interest rates changing or tax extensions, we noticed our click rates increasing,” Janet Benavidez, director of sales for Shea Homes Southern California, said.
Shea used to rely heavily on newspapers and magazines to get the word out about its homes.
Home buyers now “want to receive updates via e-mail and have the ability to log on to get the information instantly,” Benavidez said.
More people are turning to smartphones—iPhones, BlackBerrys and other devices that run on operating systems similar to that of a computer—for information on the go, according to Benavidez.
The app will be available by the end of the year for free from Apple Inc.’s iTune AppStore.
The homebuilder also has seen a positive response from current homeowners and prospective buyers with its ongoing social media campaigns on Twitter and Facebook.
“They are invaluable resources allowing us to take the temperature of our customer base instantly,” Benavidez said.
The company also is using its social media network as a way to provide customer service.
“We started seeing a real trend of people who wanted convenience and answers quickly,” Benavidez said. “They have really come to expect it from others, so we thought we had to stay on top of that.”
Shea has several employees within the company to handle questions from its social media sites. The company has workers in Arizona to deal with customer service issues for current homeowners. Each sales office has a dedicated member to handle new prospects, according to Benavidez.
Green TV Marketing Blitz
Orange-based Westinghouse Digital Electronics LLC, which licenses the Westinghouse name from CBS Corp., is trying to attract TV buyers this holiday season by promoting the power-saving benefits of its Greenvue high-definition sets.
Westinghouse Digital, which sells TVs and computer monitors, is running 15- and five-second spots on CBS networks.
The 15-second spot features the televisions as energy-saving devices. The five-second spots are plugged into leftover, empty spots CBS has on hand.
The commercials are expected to reach more than 55 million viewers on CBS networks until a week before Christmas.
“In the vein of the selling season, we wanted to let consumers know we’re a viable choice,” said Rey Roque, vice president of marketing at Westinghouse Digital.
The company’s commercial also will be shown on gas pump screens at 700 stations around the country as part of Irvine-based AdTek Media Inc.’s PumpTop TV network.
“The Greenvue (benefits) are fleshed out more on PumpTop TV,” Roque said. “We have more space and more time there.”
Westinghouse Digital provides screens for PumpTop’s station displays.
“We provide the hardware, but we’re also an advertiser,” Roque said.
The company has seen sales of its smaller TVs hold up during the downturn as consumers have started replacing older TVs, according to Roque.
The campaign is part of a larger branding effort for Westinghouse Digital.
“The Westinghouse brand has already represented the best technology for the best value. We feel the new TV campaign is going to drive that message home for the holidays,” Roque said.
Westinghouse Digital moved from its longtime headquarters in Santa Fe Springs to Orange this month.
Taco Bell, 50 Cent Settle
Irvine-based Taco Bell Corp. has settled a lawsuit with rapper 50 Cent after he sued the fast food chain for using his name in a marketing campaign.
Late last month, the rapper, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III, settled out of court for an undisclosed amount with Taco Bell, part of Louisville, Ky.-based Yum Brands Inc.
The terms of the settlement were confidential, but Jackson was asking for $4 million in damages when the suit was filed in Manhattan a year ago.
The suit argued that Taco Bell used Jackson’s name and trademark without his authorization to promote its low cost value menu consisting of tacos and burritos.
Taco Bell President Greg Creed had jokingly asked the rapper in an open letter to change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent for a day. The letter also said if Jackson rapped his order at a drive-through, $10,000 would be given to his favorite charity.
Taco Bell sent the joke letter to several news outlets around the country but didn’t send it to Jackson at first, the suit claimed.
Jackson wasn’t alerted about the letter until after the story had already been picked up by several news organizations, leading some consumers to believe that Jackson was “selling out” as a paid endorser.
According to the suit, “Taco Bell stole Jackson’s endorsement and enjoyed all the benefits of his ‘mega-star’ publicity without having to pay him his multimillion dollar fee.”
Taco Bell and 50 Cent declined to comment on the settlement.
