Real estate marketing plan: leasing an office building, from construction to signing

An office building is often marketed while still under construction, sometimes years before delivery. To find a tenant, it has to be made known, people have to want to visit it, and brokers and investors need the right tools at the right time. That is the role of the real estate marketing plan.

Iceberg designs the leasing communication for office buildings, mixed-use projects and heritage sites, for investors, property companies and developers: Kennedy and 26 Madrid in Paris, HOPEN and Altiplano in La Défense, Carré Concorde near the Place de la Concorde, Botanica in Luxembourg. Here is how to build this plan, step by step.

Three audiences, three sets of expectations

• Occupiers, the companies that will move in, are looking for a place their teams will want to come to: spaces, services, a neighbourhood, an image.
• Brokers, the real estate advisers who support these companies, need clear arguments and tools ready to pass on to their clients.
• Investors look at the value of the asset, its environmental performance and its ability to be let.

A good marketing plan speaks to all three, with materials suited to each.

First, a brand for the building

The name, tagline and visual identity make every medium consistent, from the construction site to the viewings. For Kennedy, in Paris 16th, the tagline “Régénérer Paris, au rythme de la Seine” (Regenerating Paris, in step with the Seine) carries the whole leasing communication. Our guide Naming and branding an office building details this first step.

During construction: making the building exist

Well before delivery, the building must be seen, recognised and anticipated.

• Hoardings and building wraps turn the construction site into a communication medium. Kennedy’s hoardings carry the campaign “Le 16ème a changé. Et vous ?” (The 16th has changed. Have you?). In Paris 8th, 4 Général Foy is dressed in a building wrap. HOPEN revealed itself with its hoardings and a poster campaign.
• A campaign that makes people imagine the future. For Altiplano, in La Défense, Iceberg staged a stag, an elephant, a whale, a dancer or an acrobat on the bare floors of the construction site, to make people imagine the future life of the building.
• Social media tells the story of the project’s progress. On LinkedIn and Instagram, Altiplano speaks in simple messages: “500,000 pickaxe blows”, “1001 reasons to come back to the office”, the greenhouse gas emissions saved by the refurbishment.

At the leasing launch: presenting the offer

When the leasing campaign starts, companies and their advisers must find all the information, and the desire to visit.

• The brochure, often accompanied by a box set for brokers and key clients. The one for Carré Concorde, with a cut-out wrought-iron staircase, presents two private mansions from 1768 converted into offices.
• The website, with plans, floor areas and services: the 4 Général Foy website and its interactive plans and renderings, the 360° axonometric view on the HOPEN website.
• Film and 3D renderings, to show the spaces before delivery. See our guide 3D films and renderings.
• A launch event for brokers, which opens the leasing campaign. The one for Carré Concorde brought together 100 brokers.

For viewings: making people feel the place

• The marketing suite welcomes visitors in the colours of the building. The one for La Poste du Louvre tells the story of the place with a project timeline and banners.
• The furnished show floor shows the real spaces when the building is delivered or nearly delivered, as for 26 Madrid, in Paris 8th.
• The welcome kit and branded items extend the visit: for Kennedy, a cap, a tote bag, a bicycle and a badge.

To choose the viewing space, see our guide Marketing suite or showroom.

For investors: dedicated materials

Investors do not expect the same information as occupiers. For Botanica, in Luxembourg, Iceberg designed materials dedicated to investors and others for occupiers. For Al Noor Tower, a landing page and an investor deck. For 52 Champs-Élysées, a VIP box set and a magazine.

Keeping the leasing campaign alive

A leasing campaign lasts several months. The content must be renewed: new images, construction progress, services, neighbourhood life. For 26 Madrid, visuals created with artificial intelligence fed all the materials, social media included. Discover our approach to content creation with AI.

A typical timeline

When the communication starts depends on the project’s stakeholders, its progress and the building permit. Once launched, it generally follows these stages:

1. At the start of construction: the brand, generally two to three months of creative work for the name, the tagline and the visual identity, then the hoardings or the building wrap.
2. Before the leasing launch: the brochure, the website, the film and the 3D renderings, which take two weeks to two months to produce.
3. At the launch: the event for brokers and the opening of the marketing suite, designed and fitted out in one to two months.
4. During the leasing campaign, usually two to four months: viewings, social media and new content.

What to expect

Communication does not lease a building on its own: location, price and the quality of the spaces remain decisive. But it makes the building known earlier, and gives brokers the means to champion it. On delivery in 2024, Altiplano was already nearly 90% let, to Suez and Enedis. 4 Général Foy was let before the works were finished to AÉSIO mutuelle, which is setting up its headquarters there. Carré Concorde, 52 Champs-Élysées, Newtime and 26 Madrid have found tenants. The communication for La Poste du Louvre won Iceberg the COM-ENT d’Or for brand creation and the TOP/COM award.

Frequently asked questions

When should a building’s communication start?

The right moment depends on the project’s stakeholders, its progress and the building permit. The brand often accompanies the project from the start of construction, with the hoardings and the first materials, well before delivery.

Which materials are used to market an office building?

Most often: a brochure, a website, a film or 3D renderings, hoardings or a building wrap, and a marketing suite for viewings. The set-up adapts to the size of the building and its timeline.

Does the building need its own website?

For a large project, yes: it brings together the plans, floor areas, services and images, and brokers can pass it on to their clients. HOPEN, Botanica and Newtime each have their own website.

Do you work with real estate advisers?

Yes. Iceberg designs tools for leasing teams and events for brokers, and also works directly for advisers, such as Cushman & Wakefield for Mille Arbres.

Preparing to market a building? Discover our approach to real estate communication, or let’s talk about your project: yulia@iceberg.fr – +33 6 64 86 93 83.