Kate McBain
“After more than 15 years in real estate marketing, I am still enamored by the built environment and its ability to impact an occupants’ wellbeing, productivity, mood, and daily experience. I truly can’t see myself in any other career.”
#WomenWhoBuild meet Kate McBain!
Kate is a marketing and communications specialist with over 15 years of strategic real estate marketing experience in both Australia and the United States of America. Prior to her current role as Marketing Director at Markate Collective, Kate was the Communications Director at The Durst Organization where her deep understanding of placemaking and brand building has poised her to market iconic buildings including One World Trade Center, the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park and VIA 57 WEST.
We sat down with Kate to discuss her journey in Real Estate Marketing, her strategic approach to her work, how she sees the profession evolving within the next 10 years, and what advice she has for students looking to pursue this field as a career path.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey in Real Estate Marketing? What initially interested you in the field and what led you to pursue it as a career?
My fascination with real estate began at an early age. My dad is a builder and my grandfather is a property developer, so I often cleaned project sites as a kid for my allowance. Despite the early introduction to real estate, I was unclear on my future when it was time to go to college. I enrolled in a business degree because it felt like a solid baseline for a future career, and I fell in love with marketing and subsequently majored in it. I landed a marketing job at a construction company after graduating and that set the tone for a career in the built environment.
I spent the next ten years marketing various construction companies in Australia, before being offered a job opportunity in New York City. I was convinced NYC would be a two-year hiatus, however it turned into six years. I initially worked for a construction company, but quickly found my way into the owner/developer side of the industry with a marketing communications role at The Durst Organization. The opportunity to market Durst’s portfolio of iconic buildings was a privilege. I’m very grateful for the experiences, the connections I forged, and the “pinch myself” moments that now serve as wonderful memories.
In 2021, I moved back to Australia for personal reasons and had to say goodbye to a city and job that I loved. I will be forever grateful for the kindness the Durst family showed me during a difficult time and the entire experience reaffirmed that our industry is built on people and relationships. I took a few months off, reconnected with my Aussie network and decided to open my own marketing consultancy. Nine months into my company’s infancy and I’m lucky to have clients in both Australia and the US. The Australian real estate industry generously welcomed me back and I am fortunate to have some great clients and projects to market, including the city-shaping, $2.3-billion Waterfront Brisbane development.
“A building’s individual brand will always be its beating heart and can elevate a building beyond bricks and mortar to create an emotional connection. It’s important to keep the human experience at the core of the brand and to ensure that marketing efforts are human-centric. ”
After more than 15 years in real estate marketing, I am still enamored by the built environment and its ability to impact an occupants’ wellbeing, productivity, mood, and daily experience. I truly can’t see myself in any other career.
For those who may not be too familiar with the profession, can you tell us a little bit about your day-to-day responsibilities?
The best part about real estate marketing is that the days are rarely the same, so it’s wonderfully varied. My overarching responsibility is to create and implement an organizational or asset marketing strategy which can include branding, copywriting, collateral, proposals and pitches in support of leasing efforts, digital marketing, videos, campaign creation and implementation, art direction for renderings and photoshoots, marketing floor creation, presentations, signage, events, and communications.
How do you approach each project you work on? Where do you obtain inspiration? What is your strategic approach to the work?
On an individual basis. Cookie cutter marketing doesn’t work. Buildings are not built equally and each possesses a unique personality or characteristic that should be identified and marketed as a point with which occupants can connect. It’s important to take the time up front to understand the unique traits of a building and its user experience, and then connect those elements with the owner/landlord’s brand ethos and values so that every touchpoint reflects and reaffirms their brand. A building’s individual brand will always be its beating heart and can elevate a building beyond bricks and mortar to create an emotional connection. It’s important to keep the human experience at the core of the brand and to ensure that marketing efforts are human-centric. In terms of inspiration, I’m lucky to have a solid international network to stay updated with trends. It’s also great to look beyond real estate to gain inspiration from other industries, such as retail or hospitality, for experiential marketing and unique activations that can translate to the resident or tenant experience.
What has been the biggest challenge in your career? What has been your biggest triumph?
I’m going to be cheeky and name two challenges instead of one; moving to NYC and moving back to Brisbane. The process of acclimating (acclimatising for the Aussies) to cultural differences, as well as forming and reforming professional networks takes time and patience is key.
I don’t think there has been any one triumph, but rather a series of moments that stand out as exciting or memorable for me. Launching marketing initiatives such as tenant composting and the amenity brand at One World Trade Center, winning large proposals after many late nights at the office, being recognized with industry awards, and job promotions have all given me a sense of accomplishment. I don’t think I recognized them as particular triumphs at the time, as I was in awe of the opportunity to market incredible buildings and to learn from dynamic industry talent. New York City gave me so much, and I feel fortunate to have been able to shape some of its buildings and its resident and tenant experiences.
Outside of my own career, I have always found accomplishment in building healthy and happy teams that produce great outcomes and actually enjoy working together. There is a huge sense of achievement in watching a young team member’s career grow and flourish, and I value being involved in that process. The opportunity to provide continued advice or mentoring to a past employee in support of their career journey is a wonderful way to give back to an industry that’s been so generous to me.
“The past few years have seen a seismic shift in how occupants use residential and commercial buildings. Residential properties have become more like commercial offices with so many people working from home, and commercial properties have become more residential with luxury hotel-style amenities and concierge services.”
How do you see this profession evolving within the next 10 years?
Marketing will continue to evolve with technology. Tools such as renderings, flythroughs, 3D tours, and augmented reality will develop further and be complemented by other tech advancements. The pandemic’s impact on how we live and work will be long-lasting and will guide the role of marketing. The past few years have seen a seismic shift in how occupants use residential and commercial buildings. Residential properties have become more like commercial offices with so many people working from home, and commercial properties have become more residential with luxury hotel-style amenities and concierge services. Marketing will play a critical part in encouraging people to return to the office and we must continue to adjust marketing efforts to reflect how people use space now, rather than how buildings were traditionally used. Finally, I believe we will see a continued emphasis on sustainable buildings; not just in construction methodology and material selection, but in operational sustainability and environmentally friendly occupant behavior. Marketing communications plays a key role in changing behavior and promoting green living and working.
What advice do you have for students who are interested in pursuing this career path?
Build a network early and tour as many buildings and sites as possible. You can’t market what you don’t understand, so it’s important to spend time on site asking questions and shadowing leasing professionals, property managers, development and construction teams to gain a solid understanding of the many components of real estate.