Bricks & More: Unlocking Real Estate Value

The unrivalled power of real estate branding and marketing with Achelle Hill

• Adrian Strittmatter • Season 1 • Episode 1

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In the debut episode of Bricks & More, Adrian Strittmatter welcomes Achelle Hill, Marketing Director Europe at Lendlease, to explore the power of branding and marketing in real estate. 

They discuss how marketing is more than just a promotional tool—it’s a fundamental driver of long-term value creation.

Key topics include:

✅  Branding as a value multiplier—how real estate brands shape perception, demand, and long-term success.

✅  Placemaking & storytelling—why marketing should start at the master planning stage, not just at the launch.

✅  Lendlease’s triple bottom line—how financial, social, and environmental value must be balanced for sustainable success.

✅  The power of partnerships—why collaboration is essential for driving engagement and creating destinations.

✅  Lessons from landmark projects—insights from One Sydney Harbour, Smithfield, Euston, and more.

If you think real estate marketing is just about producing marketing tools this episode will change your mind.

Achelle Hill on LinkedIn
Lendlease: https://www.lendlease.com/

Adrian Strittmatter on LinkedIn
Saentys: https://saentys.com/ 

Adrian Strittmatter:

Hi everyone. Welcome to the podcast. Today, we'll be covering a value generating lever, which is in my biased view, obviously, critical to the commercial success of any asset. It is a topic which is both super close to my own interests, career, and work within the real estate sector, but also a source of many of my biggest frustrations, sleepless nights and yelling at my screen or at a phone once I've just hung up. I'm of course talking about the importance of branding and marketing. To help me overcome my anxieties and provide answers on how to harness the power of real estate brands across the asset life cycle, I'm absolutely thrilled to welcome Achelle Hill. As the marketing director Europe at Lendlease, she has worked collaboratively with business leaders, cross functional teams, and external partners to shape and deliver high impact, high performing B2B and B2C campaigns and initiatives. Her in depth expertise in marketing communications, placemaking, and leadership has enabled Lendlease to enhance its global reputation, foster customer loyalty, and generate growth opportunities. Thus creating exceptional places and experiences that improve the lives of people and communities. Hi Achelle. Lovely to have you on the podcast.

Achelle Hill:

Lovely to be here.

Adrian Strittmatter:

2025 it's a new year. There's been a couple of sort of really difficult or challenging years for real estate globally. How are you feeling about this new year, this new leaf?

Achelle Hill:

I have to agree with you. The last couple of years have been incredibly challenging. Uh, but I'd say we challenge comes reward. On a very positive note, we are starting to see some really great. Green shoots. I wouldn't say we're out of the woods just yet. However, a lot of the markers are actually demonstrating that we are moving in the right direction.

Adrian Strittmatter:

what would you say are the top level metrics which are potentially now being hit to provide those green shoots and that glimpse of optimism?

Achelle Hill:

I think what's incredibly interesting is real estate has probably been viewed quite traditionally and what I'm noticing and what we're seeing, at least in the industry, is that some of those measures are changing. And so, I work for an organization called Lendlease, we're global developer. And some of the foundations and the principles we've applied through our entire history are actually becoming themes, but more than just themes, they're becoming requirements, and those requirements are incredibly valued to actually looking at the value of real estate. So, a couple of those, and I think that there's a level of. Buzz around the word

Adrian Strittmatter:

Mm-hmm

Achelle Hill:

Everyone seems to be a placemaker. Yeah. Um, and a value creator. And actually, uh, actually, Lendlease, the organization I work for, actually uses those as their key point of difference and has done for very many decades. But I think in terms of value, it's more than. The bricks and the mortar or bricks and more, um, it, it's around adding social value, environmental value, and then obviously there's a financial value. So I think it's looking at the whole life cycle and the whole spectrum because we are building places for people. And I think we have to remember at the end of the day, we need to add value more than just the people who are purchasing or transacting, but to the economies and to the communities that we build in.

Adrian Strittmatter:

But that's a really interesting point actually, because I think, you could then sort of view Lendlease of having potentially spotted those trends, or is that just part of the DNA that they had, and is that, that's quite a point of difference of saying these are the things that we're doing pre buzzwords. Why, why would you say that, or how is it that they started sort of honing in on those specific levers which have now become not even, well, an obligation if you want?

Achelle Hill:

So our founder, uh, Dick Dusseldorf actually believed in a triple bottom line and he believed that we actually had to add value to our customers and to the internal customers, the employees throughout the construction and development life cycle. And so I think when you actually look at the places you create and you realize that they're so impactful to the people that will eventually reside in them, but equally the communities you partner with, it gets you to thinking around actually what happens in between these buildings and how do you actually create an experience. And I have to say it was a very key point of difference for us and I think if you look at our DNA and you look at the projects and you go and experience those projects, you can see that. However, I'd say it's obviously something most other developers are becoming aware of. Um, And they may say they do, but I think those who do it really, really, really well, it's not something that you could add on retrospectively, it has to come through, I'd say every single part of the business. And then when you actually experience it, you can actually understand how beneficial that is and the legacy it creates.

Adrian Strittmatter:

So I think it's interesting, in terms of, I think the motivator, let's say behind, let's say ESG is obviously, I'd say, context led and is a, is a, is a kind of a given that has to be done. And you mentioned that it's harder to sort of retrofit that into an organization if it's not part of your DNA. What would you say the, the reasons are or potential reasons are of why people are having or, or seeing that they're having to adopt these new ways of calculating value, which are not strictly financial and now obviously with the obligation of doing something for the environment?

Achelle Hill:

I'd say people are realizing that these places have to exist for a lot longer than the initial creation period. And if you're not starting to, I think, give yourself a guiding light or a goal to work towards, and then measuring it along the way and actually being held accountable, I'm not sure that You can necessarily measure the value or you can provide a return on investment to your shareholders or your stakeholders or To the communities in which you work in so I'd say for us, the people our organization attracts and the Challenges we're given and the goals we're given as individuals within our respective departments or on our projects are incredibly ambitious but in a really positive value driven sense. And I think that that's what drives us to come to work is yes, we are building buildings and we are creating places, but the fact that we can all stand proud of the places we create for hopefully decades and generations to come.

Adrian Strittmatter:

That's super interesting, because I think actually we're moving it away from a simple transaction, which is, I own something, I'm gonna sell it to someone who's gonna buy it, to a property or a new area in a city, which actually is formed of multiple transactions between multiple people over a multiplicity of timeframes and that that complexity and to understand that you are in a dare I say commercial relationship than simply the investor and that you have to give back to multiple audiences, I think is is really key. What I'm really interested in, I think, is the difference that you mentioned around Lendlease, and I think that, we discussed this quickly before about that triple bottom line. How did it come about? I mean, do you know? Because it's really putting the maths where your mouth is in a weird way.

Achelle Hill:

I'd actually have to go back and chat, um, obviously to Dick, but he's no longer with us. I'd have to, I'm not entirely sure on exactly where it came from, but it's, it's most definitely in our DNA. And I'd say one of the key points of difference is, is the way the business is structured and the opportunities we've created is we don't generally work in individual assets. That's evolving, but a lot of the legacy work that we have done and our strategy has been been around taking incredibly large underutilized locations in key urban locations and recreating part of the city. So I think one of the things that drives us to be able to do that is because we are not working on something individually for a very short period of time. Most of the time, the work that we all do, and we get used to talking in 5, 10, 20 year times. And we work on um, we're working on Euston overstation development. And there's a running joke internally around who's going to be alive when we finish. And that's, that's the truth of the scale and the time and the part, and the longevity. And I think that that triple bottom line is, we are not here for a moment in time. These places are here forever. And I think when you do get the ability to shape really incredibly large places, you are having to consider so much more than just the individual tower itself. It's those spaces in between and what's better for... and I think our business believes, if it's better for the world, it can be better for business and it's. in those magic moments where true value is created. And I'd say most of the time, it's obviously measured financially. And that's where things can slip because it's like, but there's a benefit to the community. There's a benefit to the environment. There's a benefit to the people. And I have to say, it's incredibly fun to be able to work on something where, you know, that that place will be an incredible place to come for many, many decades to come.

Adrian Strittmatter:

And I think that's super interesting about that time frame and that adoption. of different ways of creating and fostering value. Do you think, obviously you work globally, you're originally from Australia, do you see a difference between how quickly geographies or markets are quick to apply or take on board these new or more inclusive or more diverse ways of looking at value and value creation?

Achelle Hill:

As you mentioned, I'm very, very fortunate having come from our head office and our Australian business, it's an Australian organization, um, to head up our marketing here in Europe. One of the things I have to say about working and I can mainly comment in the UK is actually as a culture, the focus on social value. Um, maybe less so environmental, I'd say they're probably equivalent, um, is far stronger in Europe than it was in Australia. And so some of the things that we, or I thought were quite progressive, actually are mainstream here. And I think. If you look at the way that we develop our places and you look at the commitments. And I think, you know, in Australia we were obviously leading the charge and putting out these very bold and ambitious statements and goals, whereas here we're actually held accountable for very ambitious goals, not just by ourselves, but our partners. And so we're seeing that come through with our government partners. But if you look at many of our projects, so from Smithfield and Birmingham to Euston, to Silvertown, the commitment we need to make as developers to giving back to the community, whether it's social or affordable housing is far greater than you would ever see in Australia. And Australia is just starting that journey. So I have to say it's, it's quite progressive here. but that doesn't mean we can actually relax. We actually have to drive it forward, but I think there's a lot we can learn from Australia and vice versa.

Adrian Strittmatter:

And vice versa. And then I was mentioning it in my intro that obviously brand and marketing and placemaking is obviously very close to sort of my professional career. And also in the intros I mentioned a lot of my frustrations of not necessarily us as an organization or an agency not having Always what I perceive to be the right role in creating these places. In your view, what is, and we'll dive into specific case studies afterwards, the role of brand and marketing in the overall sort of narrative and value creation?

Achelle Hill:

I think I agree with you, incredibly frustrating. Um, I think if I could create a campaign and maybe we can do this together of the value of marketing and real estate and the fact that we desperately, if this is a cry for help, need to be included earlier. Um, I ask

Adrian Strittmatter:

a self help

Achelle Hill:

it's a self help session. It is, but I think the value we create and I think fortunately or unfortunately, when we get it right, we get it really, really right. And when you don't get it right, you get it wrong. And the thing is at an individual asset level. It might be okay. But when we're talking about large integrated places where people live, work, play, I've been able to fortunately or unfortunately see the, the whole life cycle of real estate from acquisition all the way to legacy. Now, the role that we play, I think, In a perfect world is we will need to be brought in up front to say, what's your opportunity here? Who's the customer? Are we designing, are we visioning a place that's actually aligned to our perfect customer? And then I think that obviously there's a whole bunch of value add that you can add all the way

Adrian Strittmatter:

along the way.

Achelle Hill:

And I'd say that comes through obviously Once you actually get to what is the vision, it's the positioning, it's the key messaging, it's the branding, it's the asset branding, it's a partnerships. Um, fortunately our team also get to activate the places, drive the footfall. So we also obviously are responsible for closing out those projects and making sure that those legacies are held. So to be honest with you, you can see just in that quick snapshot, how much value. Marketing and brand can add, and I think in collaboration or in partnership with our, I think, suppliers and our partners and our government partners, we can add so much more value back to the development, back to the organization and back to the communities in which we work.

Adrian Strittmatter:

And then so a really interesting point that you mentioned around the longevity and the ability for there to be multiple beneficial brand touch points. One key thing is how do you balance out what kind of short term gain versus, as you were mentioning, the kind of legacy? Because sometimes, especially in a sort of transactional driven market, people will say, well, I want the marketing to be able to achieve this. And you'll be saying, well, if we do this we might not have the legacy piece. How are you seeing that balance at the moment in short term gain versus long term sort of more legacy gains or value creation?

Achelle Hill:

Well, that's a good one.

Adrian Strittmatter:

Sorry

Achelle Hill:

That's a really good one. That's a really good one. I think you can, you can also see my face go. It's because I guess. In, in many senses, everything we work on has such a long program or investment by nature. For the most part, it's very difficult to approach something with just driving pure value. That doesn't mean I don't have to do that. And I do do that on a regular basis. But I think the thing is, when we go and we do that. We still have to be very mindful of what's next, what's coming, because it's not immediate. So, I think the power of marketing and branding in terms of positioning, driving up value, getting a deal done. It's very possible we, we still do it, but at the same time, I think I have to make sure we still balance all of those other things we talked about. It can't be so short term that we actually deteriorate the value that we are building or the brands we are building or the places we're investing long term. So I probably have a slightly different view on it to perhaps somebody else who's in and then out and then doesn't actually have to pay the consequence of being invested in that location for 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 years. So I'd say marketing can very much help drive that value very, very quickly, but a bit like brand building, I don't think you should leave it to an extreme where you actually start to sacrifice equity long

Adrian Strittmatter:

Mm-hmm.Well, especially if you, as you said, the organization has a, a longer hold or is also clearly identified.'cause we see a lot of people who we work with as well are there for the value add and then will sell it on to Another steward if it were who will have to take care of the place. So Even in those circumstances, you're right. There should be a a thought to what's happening after.

Achelle Hill:

And I think the one thing that we're really lucky with is the value we add and the story we tell is authentic. And that's why I've been with the organisation as long as I have is what we say we're going to deliver, we deliver. And so it makes my job incredibly, I was going to say easy, but easier when We can demonstrate value in all these different aspects and it's authentic and it's real. and I think the really important thing when it comes to value is feeling like you Achieved or perhaps got value and then making sure that long term you actually feel like that value can increase and grow rather than was it short term? Was it emotional? Was it genuine? And I think the one thing that I'm really fortunate about is that we can create value that's sustainable long term and comes from the right place.

Adrian Strittmatter:

And I think to your point as well, and that's why I really like the minute you told me about the triple bottom line is having a way of actually quantifying it. So your triple bottom line, do you potentially see that in a quadruple or six or seven bottom lines in the future where, where that value can, and those metrics, I think a lot of people, especially in marketing is that it's the brand equity. I think the minute you've got metrics, it becomes, it becomes real. It becomes quantifiable in a mathematical sense.

Achelle Hill:

That's a really good question as well. I'd say we've had a triple bottom line approach. I'd say most of the, or maybe it's entire history. And, but within those, so it's a societal, it's an environmental, um, and it's a financial. And what's wrapped up in those goes so deep. So I don't know that you necessarily need to expand it to six or seven. I think you go underneath that and you go, okay, from an environmental point of view. perspective, what are all the different aspects? Um, and then from a societal, what are all the different aspects? And then the financial. And I think as real estate develops, as people develop, and as we change, I think what sits underneath that or what sits in that and what we actually measure

Adrian Strittmatter:

In the sub metrics you mean?

Achelle Hill:

metrics, we will change. But I think foundationally, if you actually continue to apply that across the organization always, and then adjust it based on how trends change, what the priorities are, what the focuses are. I think you have a very strong framework for holding yourself accountable and being able to deliver the value that you promise your shareholders or your stakeholders.

Adrian Strittmatter:

So you've, you've, worked on many international developments and I we've had a great conversation around One Sydney Harbour and how that became, a real iconic success in so many ways. Could you kind of talk us through how that happened, and how sort of marketing and placemaking paid a role in that success?

Achelle Hill:

that Yeah, that's an incredibly interesting case study and I'd say probably one of the projects I'm most proud of. Um, having had the opportunity to not only launch it but to see it through. So, for those audiences who are not local, One Sydney Harbour is the final residential stage of a precinct or neighbourhood called Barangaroo. Uh, it's Lendlease's head office and is one of the most awarded precincts in Australia. Now it's a predominantly commercial development with amazing retail and only a couple of residential opportunities. Now it's actually the one Sydney Harbour is actually a collaboration with Renzo Piano and Daniel Goldberg. So it's the powerhouse duo um, who created the Shard, right? So one of Europe's or London's largest towers. And in terms of The value creation and the reason One Sydney Harbour was so successful and One Sydney Harbour at the time sold the most expensive property in Australia's history. It was the most expensive property that was ever sold off plan. To date, and I'd probably need a triple fact check, it's been the most successful residential sales launch in Australia's history.

Adrian Strittmatter:

Wow. So

Achelle Hill:

An incredible privilege to be part of that, um, incredibly hard work and very steep learning curve. I have to say thank you to all of the amazing people who worked on the precinct almost a decade before we got to One Sydney Harbour. And it was the value that was created and this Defining, city changing precinct of Barangaroo that allowed us to extract the value out of these residential homes, so so many years later. And so in terms of the way that, you know, we approached it, obviously we collaborated with incredible agencies to create a really compelling proposition, for One Sydney Harbour, which was, I have to say, a delight when you've got master architects like Renzo and Daniel and from an interior perspective, it always helps. Um, but it was really Lendlease's first foray into ultra prime. Um, and in terms of my background, I'm not from ultra prime. I'm a marketeer with a background in finance. So once in a lifetime opportunity under extreme pressure. And it was, how do we create? And how do we make sure that we're aligned with a luxury and ultra luxury product and that the customers get an experience as they would with any other high net or ultra high net worth individual. So from a marketing and brand perspective, everything was curated. We had three different product types, we had obviously the Penthouse, which was, which achieved the record and we actually set really strong brand values that actually held us to account all the way through. So there was things like rarity, craftsmanship, excellence. And so. The brand had been created and the project was meant to launch many years before. And so when I came on board, it was like, how do we take that and how do we create an exceptional customer experience and also make sure that we're also, you know, commercially very, very successful. And so it was this wonderful collaboration and it was very partnership driven to create, obviously outstanding, resounding success and so there were so many different things. Obviously, the partnership with Renzo and Daniel was incredibly important. Um, We took a very strong PR approach to making sure that these messages were actually delivered in the right way. And we got, what did we get? We got covers of newspapers. We got, every news channel in Australia. We managed to get great coverage. But what I was most proud of was we did brand partnerships with LVMH. We did brand partnerships with furniture suppliers that dealt with only Italian furniture. And we curated experiences. We created very high end collateral. But we also created a level of scarcity. I probably shouldn't say this, but, overall with One Sydney Harbour is 800 apartments, but not that those customers would have seen or known that. So we had a display suite and it was By invite only for almost two years. before we even decided to take any of the marketing onto the market.

Adrian Strittmatter:

So obviously this was a, one Sydney Harbour was a real commercial success. But obviously, as you mentioned before, part of a, an established precinct and something that had been worked on and developed over a period of 10 years. So how, how did that continuation work? How did that sort of evolution work?

Achelle Hill:

So obviously we'd invested very heavily in the Barangaroo brand and we had commercial brands for our workplaces and a retail destination. And I think when we got to One Sydney Harbour, these towers and the beauty of living there. Internally, they are spectacular, but it was so much more than what was inside your apartment, and that's where those two brands, and that's where the privilege of working on these masterplanned projects is, is because you actually get to promote, celebrate, and we were lucky enough to experience it because it had been developed, is actually the precinct brand and how that actually elevates the product brand because it's the neighborhood that you are buying into and not only had we developed it, we'd curated it. So you've got this amazing high energy precinct on Sydney Harbour and when it came to the marketing, we often combine those two brands interconnectedly. So you'd often have a brochure that was one Sydney Harbour and underneath the precinct brand said Barangaroo, because the equity we had built in that location and that precinct in place was second to none within the local and international market.

Adrian Strittmatter:

And are you able to, like you mentioned Smithfield in Birmingham, which we're lucky enough to collaborate on and Euston. And there's 7 or 8 big projects in the UK. Is that synergy, uh, between let's call the umbrella brand or the Precinct brand and then the sort of different asset class commercial requirements. Do you have a magic formula for that or is it like, is it always like make it up as you go along or how is there sort of a way of doing that? So it's so successful as you had at One Sydney.

Achelle Hill:

I think we're really, really lucky is often before we get brought in, obviously we'd love to be brought in early in terms of like what the customer is, what the opportunity is. I work with incredible individuals who create really ambitious, considered master plans that are not just looking at Extracting commercial or financial value. They're actually looking to create new destination in Smithfield, which we've been able to partner on, which you've done a beautiful job on, and it's incredibly exciting if you actually delve down into that and, and it makes my job a pleasure is the precincts and the visions and the places we create from the outset are world leading, cutting edge, progressive and considered. And so Smithfield has a market, it has a new square, it has a cultural centre. So when you get the opportunity to start telling that story, that authentic story, which obviously you've been part of, the value is created at kind of the inception. And then what's so wonderful is as we deliver that brand, The actual creation of this place matches its value. And then by the time you actually get through the masterplanned, your brand values and your brand and the place are symbiotic. And then when you get to, and most of the masterplans here that I work on probably don't accumulate in necessarily an ultra prime residential project. It's not appropriate. But I think what you can see is for the investors that say it's off the plan residential or the workplaces and the occupiers and the people that work there, the value they get in their own investment in their people from the retailers in their like in their businesses. It's so much more than just a really successful launch, it's value for all of the people in all of those transactions, hopefully for a very long time all the way through. So different types of value in different life cycles, but it remains the same.

Adrian Strittmatter:

Is there, is there anything like over and above, like the financial metric. I'm just thinking around, you know, brand works when other people become ambassadors of that place. They live there, they work there and they really fuel the word of mouth. Is there anything that in your sort of really vast experience of marketing where you've heard something that someone said, you say, yeah, we got it, okay. People are, you are hearing people talking about things that you've talked about, but you never told them about it. So they've really embodied the brand and the messaging.

Achelle Hill:

I think it's incredibly interesting to spend time in the precincts you create.

Adrian Strittmatter:

Mm.

Achelle Hill:

You eavesdrop and you

Adrian Strittmatter:

people watch, an eavesdrop. Yeah.

Achelle Hill:

I think, and I'll have to send you the clip, but And when we went to film Renzo and we asked him, what does success look like to you? He says, when a building is finished, I watch, I watch the people. I watch the smile on their face. And I think the thing is, you watch the way these places are experienced and the way that if I, I mean, I'm very fortunate to say, Oh, have you ever been to Barangaroo or have you ever been to Darling Square or have you experienced Elephant Park? And sometimes I won't play my cards and tell them. Why it might just come up in conversation and you hear the feedback and I think when, you know, your colleagues and friends and family actually live and work in these places and then you ask them about their experience, that's so rewarding and I'd say that's why I'm sure you can sense this, but I'd say a lot of the people that I work with are incredibly proud of the work that we do and the fact that you'll get to experience those places on those skylines for potentially the rest of your life and it's a legacy is, is incredible. But yes, it's, It's not necessarily as direct as what you might experience, but I think it's the indirect is where you actually see the value because of being honest

Adrian Strittmatter:

Yeah, no, no, I completely and I think on that note then of experiencing and being in synergy with the way that people experience it. Like I think it's when they invented text messaging, it wasn't for the way that people started to adopt that technology. Have you sometimes been surprised in the way that people have engaged with the property in weird and wonderful ways, or with the brand in the ways that you hadn't thought and were going, oh, that's actually really interesting.

Achelle Hill:

I'd say it's that people make it their own. And I think that. Watching that, watching the brand collaborations, the placemaking, but it's, you know, you're looking at retailers who have to adopt this. And I think for me, that's the beautiful part is, is no longer something that you own and curate and manage. It's something that people, it becomes part of who they are or what they're trying to achieve. it's seeing their interpretation of it, that's incredibly rewarding.

Adrian Strittmatter:

And would you say that's what, inspires you to work and to continue to work in this space?

Achelle Hill:

Oh it's so multi-faceted. I think, at the heart of it's the fact that we do more than just create places. We create places where people thrive. And I think that the opportunities to work on these mega projects. And I think what's really interesting when I came to the UK, everyone's like, you have the UK's trophy cabinet. And a lot of people get to work on one of those projects in their whole life. I think now I don't want to count, but I'll have the opportunity, you know, within the years that I've been at Lendlease to work on 10 to 12 and to work on them globally. And that's. The part that I think makes a difference, and that's the reason I love what I do.

Adrian Strittmatter:

No, I think that's, yeah, I, and I think the, the longevity of the, of the product as well. I think that the companies we all work for shaping the future of the city and the way that people engage with it. Do you think, um, so it's like a side note, maybe because it's quite topical, but do you think brand and marketing and messaging and positioning has a role in encouraging people to re engage with spaces, mainly the office, as one of the sort of slightly unloved asset classes? Is there a way of, of changing social perceptions through brand of how space can be adopted, worked in, or experienced?

Achelle Hill:

I think absolutely. I think we've all gone through such a transformation during COVID. And I think it comes down to, again, the authenticity. It's, I think, One of the things, again, is everyone's looking at perhaps workplace in its past life was between the four walls. I think workplaces are now, you know, you need to give someone a really compelling reason to, actually come in. And so I'd say brand plays a really big key part. And I think that, you know, looking at the customer, but also it's so much more than just what's inside. And I think if you're creating authentic places to be inside and outside, the ability to attract, retain talent and to attract and retain occupiers becomes much easier and it actually demonstrates the value of who you're trying to attract.

Adrian Strittmatter:

You're trying to attract. And so if you were we talked about our sort of shared frustration not necessarily being brought in early enough. What would be it's interesting because you're client side obviously, but what would be maybe your advice to anyone who's looking to, through marketing and branding, Enhance the value of their destination or their asset. What would be your sort of, you know, Your five key points of advice to them or three or two How many you want.

Achelle Hill:

I have lots. Um, I think there's kind of two key parts. And one would be know who your customer is and make sure that you're creating something that speaks to them and adds value to them.

Adrian Strittmatter:

Jumping in there Do you think that's changed in real estate over the last couple of years of being less product centric and then discovering that there is actually a A customer, especially on the B2B potentially, asset classes.

Achelle Hill:

I do think that, and I think that's where there's most opportunity is build it and they will come. You know, we've gone through COVID and a crisis and obviously some of the places we're creating and some of the products we're creating have shifted. And I think that if you're not in touch with what the customer wants or, you know, in terms of workplace, what the end user is actually coming for then I think that yes, I think depending on the right market conditions, which as we've touched on haven't been necessarily preferable I think you can get comfortable in thinking that just because you build a product it's going to sell, lease get great value and I think if we don't Look at who we're designing these places for and how the market is shifting and those trends. I think you can be left behind because I think the difference is we work on things that take a long time. So what's something that is relevant now and some of the buildings and that's a challenge we have within development is, you know, we're building something for a customer in two, three years time. Actually, what are we doing now and how are we looking forward to make sure that actually when you actually get the keys or you, you know. Got the lift in your new workplace that this is product that's ready for now not

Adrian Strittmatter:

Yeah. That's a bit of a

Achelle Hill:

three Yeah, and so

Adrian Strittmatter:

Especially in such a fast moving

Achelle Hill:

it's it's super fast moving. Yeah. and it's super competitive however, I think that that is something I would remind people of and

Adrian Strittmatter:

think

Achelle Hill:

think that We're all guilty of it, is lack of resources Incredible amounts of pressure, but we're not designing places for ourselves. And I think it's very It can be very easy, especially with, you know, in my role, I have so many different stakeholders. I have government. I have internal stakeholders. I have partners. I have suppliers. That it doesn't become what I think or what you think. It's actually, we have to remember we are designing these places for the end user. And if we do that, it's very likely we're going to be far more successful because that will be adopted. They'll be desirable and people will want to buy them or lease them or shop there

Adrian Strittmatter:

Or engage with them over a longer period of time. So the first point is, yeah, definitely, and I would completely agree, is really getting to understand across all asset classes who you're, and even just maybe breaking down the myth of B2B in the sense that B2B is made up of people who will have different roles within that organization. What would you say the other points, or maybe continuing on that one, which would you say

Achelle Hill:

And I'd say touching on B2B, I think. It's quite easy because in B2B you're talking probably to like minds, but again, there's an end user. I think that needs to be considered in the conversation and I, but the second part of being most successful is strategy. So, and this is where I plug you guys, is that you do, and I'm incredibly diligent, incredibly proud of making sure that our brands are based on really strong strategies. And that means again, talking to the customer, gaining insights, looking at those trends and, you know, A couple of the brands that we've created together, some of the work that I've seen in terms of your strategies are, are second to none, they're, they're world leading and I can say that having worked on some of the biggest brands and places in key markets, you get that right, the rest will flow and the creative will flow and I think the thing that you can get very Yeah. Comfortable in is a creative that doesn't actually stand for something, doesn't have a why. I'm sure your team are used to me asking and challenging that, um, on a regular basis, unless we can hold ourselves to account and we can actually build these brands in the places and the people of where they come from, they are, I think, easily diluted, or challenged and so I think nail that strategy. Nail your brand, nail your creative, and everything should flow from there.

Adrian Strittmatter:

It's interesting, cuz you've got those real key fundamentals, going to the more tactical end spectrum, is there anything or any new technology that you feel is really going to enhance the work that's done on the brand, on the visual creation, but also then the way of deploying that brand. Is there anything that you've really gone like, okay, this is a game changer.

Achelle Hill:

I think it's, it's all of those components. I think the biggest shift is We used to be able to control our own brands and I think now if you look at the consumer side of things is Everyone has a voice. Your brand is no longer your brand It's your customers brand and they are speaking for you and I think one of the things that perhaps we get a little bit comfortable in in real estate is We build brands that are not necessarily as cutting edge and we're not actually activating or building our brands the same way That, you know, and to be fair, most of our customers, depending on their age or their life cycle or what they're looking for, you are competing against much more than just your real estate competitors. So look, I think there's technologies. I think there's AI. I, you know, I think that's going to very much shift the way that we do work. I still think that the creative process, working with really good people, collaborating, being mindful of who your audience is, won't be taken. But I do think that, you know, TikTok, Instagram has shown that Brands are now owned by the people who invest and love them. And I think, you know, we work on places and so I think you're probably like, how is that relevant to someone who's doing a transaction on an office block? But I'm, remember I'm always thinking about the people in between. So we have people who shop with us, live with us, work with us. What else do they, they lease with us, um, and

Adrian Strittmatter:

by

Achelle Hill:

they are entertained by us. And I guess, I think sometimes we take real estate as a B2B brand. Whereas I see real estate going all the way down to B2C brands and it's, it's the choice of where you and I either as friends go grab a cup of coffee or when we're working, where are we perhaps going to grab lunch and I think the fortunate part is I'm creating brands and creating opportunities that mean that I'm responsible and accountable for each one of those decisions and moments. A

Adrian Strittmatter:

lot of the, a lot of the value is created when a lot of people have the ability to engage with the brand, engage with the place. Does that mean that a lot of the work that you do happens in partnerships? And how do you manage those partnerships? Because we know that there's the old adage of too many cooks spoil the broth, I think it is. So how do you manage and engage with those partnerships to really create that long term value?

Achelle Hill:

I'd say, I'd say at an organizational level and development level, most particularly in the UK and Europe is everything's based on partnerships. And so we have, I think when I worked on the Euston brand, it was my first week in Europe working on a place brand for Euston,

Adrian Strittmatter:

Uh, Deep End.

Achelle Hill:

uh, deep end. Um, and I was like, I've worked on Barangaroo. I've delivered number of integrated developments. I've got this. Yeah, yeah, sure, sure. Just, you know, give me a quick brief. And I sat down with one of my colleagues and she said, okay, not only do we have to create this brand and get everyone on board, you have 21 sets of stakeholders to get this through, and I went, dear me, excuse me. I don't even know where I'm living, where I am, and I'm going to take on one of the UK's most prominent sites and make sure it's successful and it gets through. So hopefully we're not far away from launching that place that I'm incredibly proud of. We've got green lights all the way through, much like Smithfield, I have to say, and that's again a really great strategy, really great partnership. But partnership, again, one of the things I said on my team, I have a very lean team, I have an incredible team, is we don't need to start from scratch. What can we do? do By partnering with subject matter experts or people who already have the audiences or insights. How do we actually partner with that to maximize our success? And, a couple of the, I'm going to obviously talk about some of the things I'm most proud of since I've been here is in Stratford. We have a project called Stratford Cross. When I came on board. And the name, it was, it wasn't that, it didn't describe the opportunity and we were kind of talking about ourselves around what's the opportunity in this, you know, and it's in it, it's in this, um, heart of key locations between Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Westfield and Here East. And it was like, we are next door to one of the UK's newest cultural destinations. I have some of the world's biggest brands sitting on my doorstep. Nothing I say or do is ever going to compare to the value that those organizations have. And, you know, we've got constraints of money and time. And one of my goals in repositioning and renaming this precinct and actually all the activation and the positioning of this place is, it's not about us. It's, it's about what you as an organization or an individual can get by collaborating with, so it's East Bank, um, or QEOP and some of the things from a marketing point of view that we've done in the last year, um, we, we did, we worked on, uh, GDIF, Greenwich Stocklands International Festival, relocated Canary Wharf, partnered with East Bank, QEOP, um, we had 15, 000 people on site and I could never, through an activation of that size or scale with a budget I had, achieve those results. You know, full press media coverage, incredible energy, you know, and, and those are the things.

Adrian Strittmatter:

And they were happy to participate in doing that as well. And so that's great.

Achelle Hill:

Oh, well, I think

Adrian Strittmatter:

to foster the partnership.

Achelle Hill:

well, I think the thing is underneath it is if you find like minded people and I have to give full credit to QEOP, they started a group called Park Partners and you know, I'm probably the most commercial individual in that community, but man, am I invested and, you know, I turn up and we have conversations with Tasman Ace and she, she's a director of East Bank. We are constantly looking at ways that we can utilize their creativity, and their passion to, to co benefit. And so I'd say to anyone who's probably in the situation where many of us are, we need to create incredible value, incredible outcomes with, Constantly challenging resource constraints and budgets is how do I actually pick up the phone, have a conversation, and how do we actually combine our resources? And, um, one of the terms, that one of our projects in Milan called Mind uses quite openly is we collaborate to compete. And I think sometimes that you can,

Adrian Strittmatter:

It's a good one.

Achelle Hill:

yeah, it's a great one. Um, it takes a minute to go, you're going to collaborate to compete. But I think the thing is. Sometimes our objectives are, uh, uh, actually collective. I think it was only last week, timeout listed Stratford, the second most key place to visit in London. And I'd say, I mean, there's some pretty big

Adrian Strittmatter:

paradigm shift.

Achelle Hill:

That's a paradigm shift. That is a paradigm shift. I'm not going to comment on that. I've been here not long enough. But I think the thing is, if you look at that and you'd say the efforts of QEOP, the efforts of East Bank, and I'd say there's, you know, Westfield and, you know, small, mighty people in between the Here East. We now tell a cohesive story. We check each other's collateral. We cross promote, we, we turn up at each other's events. And, you know, because we are speaking collectively, we have the power to shift perception. But we also have opportunity to, to really deliver on and deliver outcomes well in excess of what you would expect working in isolation.

Adrian Strittmatter:

Achelle, that's an amazing conclusion to what's been a really delightful conversation. Thanks ever so much for coming on the podcast and there's some, great, great, great nuggets of knowledge in there.

Achelle Hill:

Thank you. It's been a pleasure.