At the special meeting of the POA last month to vote on the Gateway Project, the Board showed a PowerPoint presentation consisting of pictures of the entrances to country clubs in Boca Raton, Jupiter, Palm Beach, etc. to contrast with the entryway to our community.
One of the thoughts that the PowerPoint presentation generated was that it demonstrated envy or jealousy by the POA Board that – perhaps – was not shared by other Williams Island residents.
And that raised a more serious question in my mind: What is Williams Island? Frankly, my wife and I bought here because we perceived it to be a quiet, secure residential community with many conveniences (both on and off the Island) and a nice combination of privacy and community.
For several months we have had a full-time marketing and branding employee, and in the most recent report, our building’s POA rep explained what she is doing:
Stephanie DeThomas reported that the new POA quarterly Newsletter would go out Friday. It did. The website, www.williamsislandclub.com is being updated and revised within the next two weeks to make it more user friendly. She plans to meet with residents to teach them how to use the new website. 353 of the surveys sent to residents were returned. 78% of those were from permanent residents who said they moved to Williams Island because of security, the grounds, gardens and landscaping, and amenities. The largest demographic groups are from the U.S., Latin America and Canada, There are also residents from a broad variety of other countries. Many residents want to receive more POA communications by email. We do not have an email system for residents, but plan to set one up. We are also gathering Aventura Census material, and planning visits to Real Estate Brokers to increase their knowledge of and interest in Williams Island.
Great to hear she is doing something. It still begs the question — Why?
I have not come to my own views on the marketing/branding activities of the POA for Williams Island, primarily because the most important information is still missing.
Specifically, what are we marketing Williams Island as? A residential Community? A country club? A health spa? An eatery?
Who are we trying to reach? Prospective buyers? Renters? People to join our spa or tennis club? The marina?
What is the goal of marketing/branding for Williams Island? Increase property values? Increase non-resident memberships?
If the survey responses show “78% of those were from permanent residents who said they moved to Williams Island because of security, the grounds, gardens and landscaping, and amenities”, how does the branding and marketing Williams Island advance those qualities?
Finally, and most importantly in my mind, is who decided (or should decide) what we are and how to market/brand us?
If anyone out there has the answers, maybe they will share them with us.
Arthur Shanker #505 – 4000 Williams Island
