The objective of Love at Sequoia was to increase brand awareness, strengthen resident retention, and build long-term brand equity by telling a story renters would genuinely watch, remember, and see themselves in.
At the center of the campaign was a cinematic hero film following a couple's journey inside their Sequoia apartment home: from meeting, growing together, to getting engaged. In a category dominated by amenity lists and promotions, the goal was to create a piece of content compelling enough to stop the scroll, hold attention, and emotionally anchor Sequoia as more than just a place to live.
Beyond awareness, the campaign was designed to deepen connection with existing residents. Sequoia set out to reinforce why residents stay–not through incentives, but by celebrating the real relationships, memories, and moments happening across its communities every day.
With a portfolio spanning more than 50 apartment communities, the challenge was scale without dilution. Love at Sequoia needed to feel personal while reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers, all while operating with 50% less media spend than the prior year. Success was measured through reach, engagement, sustained video attention, repeat brand interaction, and signals of brand equity such as organic discovery and direct traffic growth.
Love at Sequoia was built around a single, emotionally resonant hero film designed to challenge expectations of real estate marketing.
The film opens with a disarming hook: a woman proposing to her boyfriend inside their apartment–only for him to walk out. As tension builds, the story flashes back through their relationship as it unfolds within the Sequoia community: meeting in shared spaces, hosting friends, upgrading to a larger apartment together, and building everyday routines that feel lived-in and real. The film closes by returning to the opening scene, revealing that he had been planning to propose the same evening all along, returning with friends who hand him a ring before he gets down on one knee himself.
This narrative structure was intentional. In an attention-scarce environment, the campaign prioritized storytelling strong enough to hold viewers through the full arc. The result was the highest average watch time Sequoia has achieved across any video campaign to date, driven by a strong hook, emotional payoff, and cinematic execution.
The hero film served as the creative foundation for an integrated campaign with eight supporting touchpoints. Video cutdowns were distributed across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, reaching more than 400,000 unique users and generating nearly 800,000 total views.
To reinforce retention and participation, the campaign extended beyond paid media. A targeted email campaign to the deomgraphic regions we service reached over 38,000 former leads with an average open rate of 47%, reintroducing the brand through emotional storytelling. Portfolio-wide resident events activated more than 40 apartment communities with photo displays, keepsake stations, and branded props designed to spark connection and shared experiences.
Weekly “Love at Sequoia” resident stories from our communities highlighted all forms of love on social media– romantic, platonic, and pet-centered–giving residents a platform to see their own lives reflected publicly. A UGC social media contest further encouraged residents to share the memories they love the most, driving organic engagement, follower growth, and authentic participation across the portfolio.
Love at Sequoia delivered strong awareness, retention, and brand equity signals, despite operating with 50% less media spend than the prior year.
The hero film achieved the highest average watch time of any Sequoia video campaign to date, demonstrating sustained attention rather than passive exposure. Across platforms, the campaign generated nearly 800,000 video views and reached more than 400,000 unique users, significantly increasing brand visibility at scale.
Engagement rose sharply across social channels, with Instagram engagement up 52%, Facebook up 38.5% and Tiktok up 78%, indicating that viewers weren’t just seeing the content, they were interacting with it.
Crucially, the campaign also delivered measurable brand equity outcomes. Organic search accounted for 45.5% of total website traffic, while direct traffic represented 31.4%, signaling increased brand recall and intentional return visits. Corporate website organic sessions increased by 14%, with nearly 13,000 new users discovering Sequoia through organic search during the campaign.
By pairing a compelling hero story with community driven touchpoints, Love at Sequoia proved that awareness built through emotional relevance leads to stronger engagement, deeper retention, and lasting brand equity in multifamily real estate.
