Last week we here at UrbanToronto received a surprising package from SigNature Communities. It contained a substantially-sized pop-up model of their newest development, Tao Condominiums. We've seen our fair share of innovative marketing campaigns, but this one certainly stands out. SigNature Communities has paired up with advertising team BlackJet Inc. to create what they're calling the first "traveling condo model" — coupled with new technology — in an effort to get their product noticed.

Pop-up model of Tao Condominiums, image courtesy of SigNature Communities

The pop-up model came with a sales brochure which included QR Codes to be scanned with an app called Daqri, available on the iPhone 4 for free. After scanning one of three unique QR Codes the application opens augmented 3D images, allowing the user to "experience" the lobby, a suite, or the landscaped gardens.

Tao landscaped gardens, one of three interactive scenes, image courtesy of SigNature Communities

Through combining a physical, portable model with technology, SigNature Communities and BlackJet Inc. have found a new way to appeal to an evolving market. We've seen huge advances in the use of technology within sales centres (interactive touch screens, model suite features, increasingly complex site models), however the methods in which condominiums are marketed have yet to take advantage of new technologies, with many developers still working on how to best employ social media such as Facebook and Twitter. There's no argument that sales centres remain vital to closing sales on individual units — the challenge lies in getting potential purchasers to take notice of the development and make the trip to the sales centre (in the case of Tao, the sales centre is located north of the city in Richmond Hill).

Tao Condominiums project rendering, image courtesy of SigNature Communities

Tao Condominiums is the perfect project to test out this new style of marketing; we'll be interested to see just how successfully this method ends up being, and whether other developers begin to adopt similar marketing schemes.

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