Stop Marketing Like Everyone Else: Lessons From Chris Johnson | Kurious Conversations

In this episode of Kurious Conversations, Kristi Fickert sits down with Chris Johnson, Director of Marketing at Irwin R. Rose Company/Amalgamated Management, to talk about what it takes to think differently, test new ideas, and get buy-in for unconventional marketing strategies.

Think Beyond the Traditional Funnel

Chris shares why he believes multifamily marketers still need to invest in top-of-funnel awareness, even when it's harder to tie directly to a lease.

From using Streaming TV to reach renters before they start searching to rethinking the renter journey as something more circular than linear, the conversation explores why staying visible before a renter is ready to lease can matter just as much as showing up when they're ready to convert.

Find What Makes You Different

If you could remove your logo from an ad and put a competitor's logo on it without anyone noticing, your marketing probably isn't doing enough to differentiate your community.

Chris and Kristi discuss why multifamily marketers should look beyond the usual "luxury" language and amenity lists to find the things residents actually value. For Chris, that means using real resident feedback and reviews to create more authentic marketing.

Try Something Different & Make Mistakes

Chris also shares how he used geofencing and Streaming TV to recruit maintenance employees in a difficult hiring market, targeting places where potential candidates were likely to spend time.

The campaign generated three walk-ins from a maintenance ad, proving that sometimes the best marketing ideas come from simply asking, "What else could we try?"

And when an idea doesn't work? That's okay, too. Chris talks openly about a video FAQ experiment that didn't scale the way he hoped, and why being willing to test and learn is part of being a good marketer.

Prove It. Then Scale It.

So how do you get leadership to approve those bigger ideas?

Chris's approach is simple: build trust, start small, and show the results. Instead of asking for a major investment upfront, test the idea on a smaller scale and use the results to build the case for doing more.

And don't forget to translate the numbers. The right metric isn't always the one that makes the most sense to the person you're trying to convince. Sometimes you need to reframe the data in a way that connects to how they think about the business.

As multifamily marketing continues to evolve, the marketers who are willing to experiment, challenge the status quo, and prove the value of new ideas will be better positioned to stand out.

Sometimes the best marketing strategy starts with one simple question:

What if we tried something different?

🎥 Watch the full episode of Kurious Conversations with Chris Johnson here: