Has The Ginn Company become Resorts R Us?

Inconsistent branding and multiple websites create confusion. Is the Ginn name more important than the things he builds?

March 5, 2008 – Palm Coast, FL – Bobby Ginn is one of the most successful developers of amenity rich communities and luxury resorts in this hemisphere over the past ten years. Even in today’s lackluster market, he presses forward on several projects with the backing of deep pocketed and patient investor, Lubert-Adler. But the down market and some miscues have brought more scrutiny and some vocal detractors. The investor driven market has been replaced by a more cautious market increasingly driven by end users. Is it time for Bobby to retool his branding strategy?

Take a look at Ginn’s existing properties named as they are described on company websites and elsewhere:

• Ginn Sur Mer – Grand Bahama Island
• Burke Mt. – Vermont
• Old Bahama Bay Marina at Ginn Sur Mer – Grand Bahama Island
• Ginn Reunion Resort – Orlando
• Bella Collina  – Montverde, FL
• Tesoro – Port St. Lucie, FL
• Ginn Hammock Beach Resort aka The Club at Hammock Beach aka The Club at Ginn Hammock Beach aka The Club at Ginn Hammock Beach Resort – Palm Coast, FL
• Belvidere Club and Resort – Charleston, SC
• Quail West – Naples, FL
• Cobblestone Park – Blythewood, SC
• The BriarRose – White Plains, GA
• Battle Mountain – Minturn, CO
• Laurelmor aka Ginn Laurelmor aka Ginn Laurelmor Resort – Boone, NC
• River Towne – Mt. Pleasant, SC
• Mahogany Run – St. Thomas, US VI
• Patriots Point Links – Mt. Pleasant, SC
• The Gardens at Hammock Beach – Palm Coast, FL
• The Conservatory at Ginn Hammock Beach Resort aka The Conservatory at Hammock Beach aka The Conservatory at Hammock Beach Resort  – Palm Coast
• Harborside Village aka Harbor Village aka Yacht Harbor Village aka Admirals Cove aka Yacht Harbor Village at Hammock Beach – Palm Coast, FL
• The Ocean Course at Ginn Hammock Beach Resort

You can’t help but notice the inconsistencies in names. It’s as if they were built by different developers. The Ginn name is the lead in some and totally absent in others. And try to find some of these projects on the Ginn Resorts website.

What do people think about when they think of Bobby Ginn? Most say he is a visionary, a marketing genius who can turn dirt into gold. They know of the investors who followed Bobby from project to project, flipping properties for a profit. They admire the high quality of his amenity rich developments and his charitable giving. But some also think of properties he sold them at prices way above the current market. Some see him as a person who squandered money on a blimp and a failed foray into NASCAR racing (with his personal money) just when the economy was telling everyone to hunker down. And of course there are the recurring stories of Bobby’s past financial problems in Hilton Head, SC during the eighties. There’s a little tarnish showing through. But the tarnish is not evident in the quality of the developments themselves.

It’s time to simplify Ginn’s development names. How would you like to answer the phone with "The Ocean Course at Ginn Hammock Beach?" Wouldn’t "The Ocean Course" be better? With a greater need to attract "end user" buyers, the development names should be simple and prominent with the Ginn name following as a trailer. Here are a few examples:

• Hammock Beach, a Ginn Club & Resort
• The Conservatory, a Ginn Community
• The BriarRose, a Ginn Club Community
• The Gardens, a Ginn Club Community
• Battle Mountain, a Ginn Resort
• Ginn Sur Mer, a Ginn Club &Resort

Other developers drastically dropped prices to unload unsold inventory and to meet critical short term cash flow needs. Not wanting to anger owners and club members, to his credit and with admiration of his protecting values, Ginn has resisted this strategy. He’s exploring some innovative concepts including a "Super Club" or "One Club" and possible long term fractional ownership (three month minimum) of selected properties. This would also be a good time for a hard look at his branding strategy. Is he a resort maker or a developer of private communities? All websites should be consistent (BriarRose makes no mention of Ginn) and should cross sell. Each site should list all properties with cross links to all other sites.