October 2, 2012
Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate is pushing a penthouse showing to high-net-worth dog-lovers by partnering with The Humane Society of New York so that attendees can view the pet-friendly property, consider canine adoption and make a donation.
The New York real estate company is showing a penthouse at East 52nd Street this evening. The brokers are looking to highlight the pet-friendly aspects of the property to affluent dog owners, which could personalize the penthouse hunt for those consumers while giving them a chance to contribute to a favorite cause.
“Many people involved in luxury real estate are pet owners and animal lovers,” said Jennine Gourin, agent at Prudential Douglas Elliman, New York. “If a condo or co-op is not pet friendly, that could be a deal-breaker.
“In our business, people are looking for homes, and the Humane Society of New York helps find homes for animals in need,” she said. “So while at first glance these two entities may seem worlds apart, they actually have more in common than you might think.”
Pets permitted
The penthouse that Prudential Douglas Elliman is showing today features a private wrap-around terrace that looks to Manhattan’s East River.
Also, the property has a roof area on which the buyer will have the rights to build.
Penthouse terrace
The open house is 5-7 p.m. this evening. Guests will be served cocktails, have the chance to play with dogs brought in by the Humane Society and can look into adopting a pet.
The property and surrounding area is dog-friendly, which was the reasoning behind the specialized open house.
Penthouse bedroom
“We wanted to create an open house event that was special and would showcase the property, but also would somehow give back to the larger community,” said Audrey Ruden, agent at Prudential Douglas Elliman, New York.
“Since this is a dog-friendly building in a very dog-friendly neighborhood, inviting the Humane Society of New York and some of its four-legged family members in need of good homes was a perfect fit,” she said.
For the cause
Quite a few luxury marketers participate in charitable campaigns that give back to a brand-selected program.
For example, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is letting consumers take the reins for its first company-wide Breast Cancer Awareness Month program that gives a percentage of the proceeds of specialty cocktails to local charities.
At select properties throughout North and South America, on-site bars will offer a property-specific pink cocktail during the month of October (see story).
In addition, BMW of North America raised awareness for the all-new X1 by driving a vehicle to parks, beaches, forests and other recreational areas across the United States and asked consumers to fuel a $120,000 donation via Facebook.
BMW donated $1 per “like” back to the pictured location of up to $10,000 for each stop (see story).
Also, retail chain Saks Fifth Avenue held the first annual Beauty Editors Day at its New York flagship store in August to benefit the Look Good Feel Better program that helps cancer patients with the appearance-related side effects of their treatment.
The retailer invited 32 beauty editors from national magazines to pair up with 32 beauty brands represented at Saks’ beauty counter (see story).
Affluent consumers have the means to give to charity more than the general population and often give on their own to programs that are closest to their heart.
Therefore, charitable donations that align with a brand can help luxury marketers give meaning to a purchase to a target group of consumers.
“Whether it is a donation, or animal adoption, we really wanted to give meaning to this event,” Ms. Ruden said.
Final Take
Tricia Carr, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York
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