The best agencies understand that a cohesive brand identity can help them stand out in a competitive world, and there’s more to a brand than great graphics and a smart logo. Your entire business needs to live and breathe it. And your brand needs to adapt and evolve as market demands shift.
We have partnered with PSPHomes for the last four years to help them reimagine their brand, expressing the depth of experience and local knowledge honed over two decades in the industry, coupled with their marketing-led approach.
Informed buyers expect transparency and effective promotion in a competitive property market
Buying a home is the single most expensive purchase most people will make in their lifetime, so making the right choice is critical. Estate agencies have long been known for selling the dream rather than the reality, but in today’s information-driven age, buyers are more informed than ever. With access to extensive property details at their fingertips, buyers expect transparency, making it essential for estate agents to refine and perfect the selling process.
Recent data indicates that UK homebuyers face significant challenges in finding suitable properties, primarily due to a persistent housing shortage. This highlights the growing need for effective property marketing. The rise and fall of Purplebricks is a timely warning — proving that a high-volume, low-cost model, combined with an overly ambitious expansion plan, was not the right approach.
Diversifying to reach a shrewd digital audience
With multiple ways to reach buyers — including social media, property websites, and digital platforms — estate agencies must create an engaging experience that blends excitement with essential information. Today, compelling visuals, such as high-quality images and video, capture attention, not salespeople making empty promises. The key to success lies in delivering stunning, informative content straight to buyers’ mobile devices.
Buyers lead their search based on location, size, garden space, and property condition, making listings the primary driver rather than the agency itself. This brings us to the vendors—the ones who ultimately choose which agency will market their property most effectively. The biggest industry shift has been in marketing capabilities, strategic management, and, crucially, brand perception.
A long-term partnership
PSPHomes and I go way back, they were one of the first clients I worked with in 2005, back when they were known as Property Sales Partnership. They saw the potential of digital platforms early on when they asked me to review their website UI. Immediately, I noticed an issue with their name—not only from a customer perception standpoint but also from an SEO perspective. Their shopfront displayed ‘Property Sales Partnership,’ while their URL was www.psphomes.com, making it harder for search engines to connect the two.
I remember consulting with the owner, Stephen Crathern, and he told me plainly: ‘Piero, I don’t want problems, I need solutions.’ My first recommendation was simple:
- People don’t like being ‘sold’ to, so let’s drop the word ‘sales.’
- People search for ‘homes,’ not ‘properties.’
- The URL should match the business name.
- From that moment, they became PSPHomes.
Refining brand vision in a changing market
Over the years, PSPHomes embraced a traditional estate agency path, focusing on friendly, local expertise. Stephen and his brother Andrew built a strong reputation in Sussex, establishing stability within the company.
Under the leadership of their new Managing Director, Josh Wickwar, PSPHomes aimed to strengthen its digital presence and adapt to evolving market demands. However, in prioritising integrated advanced digital solutions, the agency’s brand vision became diluted. Their content-heavy website – based on a complex template – was overly intricate, losing the essence of their identity.
Recognising the need to refine the balance between technology and their brand personality, Josh approached us. Together, we realigned PSPHomes’ brand vision, blending digital innovation with a strong, recognisable presence that resonates with buyers and sellers in a competitive market.
The need for a cohesive brand identity
Collaborating closely with Josh, we explored multiple creative directions to elevate PSPHomes’ visual identity. The challenge was to balance modern ambition with the brand’s established heritage—pushing boundaries before refining the vision into something both bold and familiar.
Major brand transformations require fresh perspectives, so we experimented with a new colour palette, a simplified yet striking logo, and bold typography that blended classic elegance with contemporary appeal. This was further amplified by a suite of dynamic video content and high quality imagery, expertly crafted by a talented team assembled by Josh.
Beyond aesthetics, we took a ground-up approach to the website, stripping it back to its essentials and rebuilding with a mobile-first focus. Every element was designed to enhance user experience, ensuring the site not only projected PSPHomes’ brand personality but also highlighted its core USPs. Championing the team’s expertise and approachable nature, the website now seamlessly integrates engaging video content, optimised for mobile platforms, making a lasting impression on today’s digital-first audience.
Through professional photography, stylish video content, and optimised digital strategies, PSPHomes has transformed into a go-to agency, offering sellers peace of mind that their property is being marketed on a sophisticated, results-driven platform.
A strong brand identity to help drive growth, sales and reputation
Since then, PSPHomes has expanded into lettings, opened new offices, and won British Property Awards in 2022 and 2023, further cementing their status as one of Sussex’s leading estate agencies. Now, with a refined visual brand language that sets them apart from competitors, PSPHomes exemplifies how agility and strategic brand development are crucial in today’s evolving market.