Analysis of Marketing Tools Used by Real Estate Development Companies Using Secret Client Research – a Case Study From Krakow

The aim of the paper is to find out what marketing tools are used by development companies operating in Poland to attract customers and whether the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on marketing can be observed. The secondary aim of the paper is to determine whether developers building investments in the area of the restricted use area (O.O.U.) use more marketing tools to convince potential customers to buy. For this purpose, a secret client survey was used and the research sample consists of four development companies and four of their investments in Kraków. The research conducted led to the disclosure of marketing tools used by developers. The survey shows that some elements of home branding, storytelling and banner ads, social media ads, ads on websites and portals and information brochures are being used. Through the use of virtual walks, housing visualization and the use of social media in advertising, the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on marketing in the industry can be seen. The analysis shows that companies creating developments in the restricted use area are not using more tricks to attract customers. All developers selected for the study use a similar number of marketing tools.