“Donovan Life” was launched in conjunction with Cressey’s opening of Donovan, their latest Vancouver condominium development. The series capitalizes on the recent phenomenon of using online video to gain widespread popularity. In this case, the objective was to generate brand awareness rather than the more typical celebrity embarrassment.

So how did Cressey concoct the idea of Donovan Life? “Really it was a product of a brainstorming session,” recalls Hani Lammam, vice-president of Cressey. “Someone was talking about some of the great ads they’d seen on YouTube and how much attention those kinds of campaigns have received. So we decided to explore the concept, and here we are!”

The videos are not blatant ads for the condos, but more of a lifestyle comedy series in the vein of “Will & Grace” meets “Sex and the City.” They’re meant to draw viewers in with a story rather than the product itself. The five webisodes centre around a young professional woman deciding whether to go back to her commitment-phobe boyfriend or start fresh by moving into the luxurious new apartment building of her gay best friend. The humour is perhaps raunchier than one would expect from a condo developer, but does emulate the style and attitude of many viral videos. “‘Donovan Life’ is far from an infomercial for the features and amenities at Donovan,” says Lammam. “Instead, it’s a story many people can relate to of a lifestyle that’s appealing. We really wanted to produce something that would entertain people, and reflect the kind of lifestyle people can expect at Donovan.”

Naturally, the backdrop of the condos are built into the storyline as the characters move from one chic room to the next. Viewers are lured to not only become interested in the characters but also the high-end kitchens and contemporary rooms they reside in. Not coincidentally, the last webisode was launched the day before sales opened to VIP registrants for the Donovan development. It’s definitely a valiant foray into the world of non-traditional media.

While the videos are said to be viral, they aren’t the easiest to share in that you can’t e-mail them or embed them into blog posts. Plus, they require significant load-and-watch time commitments with each webisode ranging from three to seven minutes. So far though, Cressey’s strategy seems to have worked—at least when it comes to creating a buzz. On the day of the first webisode’s release, the site received more than 20,000 hits! Only time will tell if sales will live up to the hype.

Visit http://www.donovanlife.com for more.