Case study

Case study

Case study

Arun Estates

Arun Estates

Directing marketing for 100+ branches, modernising a multi-brand estate agency, lettings and finance group and embedding measurable performance systems that turned marketing into a scalable growth engine.

Directing marketing for 100+ branches, modernising a multi-brand estate agency, lettings and finance group and embedding measurable performance systems that turned marketing into a scalable growth engine.

0%+

0%+

Valuation lead growth

0%+

0%+

Valuation lead growth

0%+

0%+

Valuation lead growth

£240

£240

CAC reduced to

£240

£240

CAC reduced to

£240

£240

CAC reduced to

0.0M+

0.0M+

Annual budget directed

0.0M+

0.0M+

Annual budget directed

0.0M+

0.0M+

Annual budget directed

100+ branches across 5 trading brands

Marketing team size: In-house 12 + agency partners

100+ branches across 5 trading brands Marketing team size: In-house 12 + agency partners

Scaling a Multi-Brand Property Group With Measurable Growth Systems

Scaling a Multi-Brand Property Group With Measurable Growth Systems

Role

Arun Estates is one of the UK’s largest independent estate agency, Lettings, New Homes and Mortage groups, operating five consumer-facing brands across more than 100 branches in the South East. During my tenure as Marketing Director, I led end-to-end marketing transformation across acquisition, brand, CRM, digital performance and multi-location activation — driving step-change improvements in CAC efficiency and valuation demand.


My role spanned online and offline channels across sales, lettings, new homes, mortgages and insurance — overseeing multi-million-pound spend, managing a complex multi-brand web portfolio, and building a performance-led marketing function with measurable outcomes.

Business Meeting
Business Meeting
Business Meeting

Objectives

The UK property market is cyclical and margin-sensitive. Arun needed to modernise marketing, reduce waste, prove ROI, and build a scalable engine that could drive valuation demand consistently across multiple brands and territories — even when the market was against them.

Reduce CAC and improve valuation-to-instruction efficiency

Build measurable attribution across online and offline channels

Strengthen brand clarity across five trading brands

Scale local marketing performance across 100+ branch zones

Modernise the web, CRM and performance stack

Build internal capability to deliver faster with less agency dependency

Deliverables

I delivered a complete marketing transformation across brand, digital acquisition, CRM and multi-location performance. This included rebuilding website and landing page frameworks for conversion and local SEO, implementing HubSpot CRM and automated lifecycle journeys, developing branch-level paid media and local activation strategies, modernising multi-brand creative systems, launching major ATL campaigns including TV, and embedding performance reporting and optimisation across the full funnel.

Business Growth

85%

CAC cost reduction

600%+

valuation growth
Business Growth

85%

CAC cost reduction

600%+

valuation growth
Business Growth

85%

CAC cost reduction

600%+

valuation growth

Performance & Funnel Optimisation Across Digital + Offline

  • Rebuilt valuation funnels to reduce friction and improve conversion quality

  • Introduced structured testing across messaging, landing pages and lead forms

  • Balanced channel mix across PPC, paid social, display, direct mail and local activation

  • Implemented clearer measurement for ROI across key acquisition routes

  • Built reporting that enabled faster decisions and reduced wasted spend

Business Growth

12×

more enquiries than Rightmove (via owned sites)
Business Growth

12×

more enquiries than Rightmove (via owned sites)
Business Growth

12×

more enquiries than Rightmove (via owned sites)

Driving Sustainable Valuation Demand at Scale

  • Managed and optimised a portfolio of six websites across the group

  • Delivered website rebuilds focused on UX, speed, conversion and local SEO

  • Rolled out branch-level campaigns across 100+ territories

  • Delivered high-ROI local activation including door-to-door (4:1 ROI)

  • Built a bespoke social “broadcast” approach to support hyper-local targeting (pre-modern Ads Manager capability)

Brand Modernisation & Multi-Brand Consistency

  • Created a clearer brand architecture across five trading brands

  • Refreshed visual identity systems and proposition clarity

  • Standardised creative templates across branches to reduce production cost and increase pace

  • Led a £1.4M TV campaign delivered with 60% cost savings through smarter production and planning

  • Delivered consistent multi-channel execution across digital, OOH, press, DM and in-branch

Business Growth
Business Growth
Business Growth

Mortgage, Legal & Financial Services Integration

  • Led the strategy to grow ancillary revenue across in-house mortgage, conveyancing and financial services propositions

  • Integrated cross-sell journeys across valuation, instruction and post-instruction stages

  • Increased referral volume and conversion by aligning marketing, CRM automation and branch incentives around financial services performance

Marketing stack for Arun Estates

Cédric Moore

Outcomes - How I Added Value

Outcomes - How I Added Value

Arun required a unified performance engine across brand, digital, local activation and multi-branch operations. I introduced measurable full-funnel strategy, rebuilt the CRM and data foundations, improved funnel performance across digital and offline channels, and strengthened brand consistency across five trading brands and 100+ locations. Alongside this, I built internal capability and operating rhythm that supported sustainable execution at scale.

Track everything.
There’s a widely quoted line — often attributed to Henry Ford — “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.” That idea has always resonated with me. My approach at Arun was built around removing that uncertainty. When you can clearly see what’s working, you amplify it. When you can see what isn’t, you cut it quickly and without emotion.

That discipline is how you continue to grow — or at the very least protect performance — even when the market is against you. No waste. No guesswork. Just clarity, focus and relentless optimisation. This is how you increase ROI, protect margin and build marketing systems that last.

Arun required a unified performance engine across brand, digital, local activation and multi-branch operations. I introduced measurable full-funnel strategy, rebuilt the CRM and data foundations, improved funnel performance across digital and offline channels, and strengthened brand consistency across five trading brands and 100+ locations. Alongside this, I built internal capability and operating rhythm that supported sustainable execution at scale.

Track everything.
There’s a widely quoted line — often attributed to Henry Ford — “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.” That idea has always resonated with me. My approach at Arun was built around removing that uncertainty. When you can clearly see what’s working, you amplify it. When you can see what isn’t, you cut it quickly and without emotion.

That discipline is how you continue to grow — or at the very least protect performance — even when the market is against you. No waste. No guesswork. Just clarity, focus and relentless optimisation. This is how you increase ROI, protect margin and build marketing systems that last.

Testimonials

Don't take my word for it.

Whether you're a small startup or a large corporation, let me be your trusted advisor on the path to growth.

  • Konrad Sanders
    Konrad Sanders

    CEO - The Creative Copywriter

    My agency provided Duncan with content strategy and copywriting services, while he was leading the helm at Arun Estates. And he was one of the few clients we've worked with that truly and instantly "got" content marketing. He had an impressive holistic understanding of marketing, and how content fits into the wider picture. He was keen to disrupt and 'zig while the industry zags'. And his feedback was always well-considered and constructive. Plus, he's fun to have a beer with!

  • Matt Phelan
    Matt Phelan

    Founder - The Happiness Index

    Duncan is a data driven, creatively led marketer with an entrepreneurial flair. He understands both the commercial and human side of running a thriving business. Highly recommended.

  • Lee Wainwright
    Lee Wainwright

    CEO Focal Agent & CEO Purplebricks

    I loved working with Duncan, a marketing professional that truly understands the commercialism that has to sit behind the investments that he makes. Watching him build his marketing campaigns with data based insights which he uses to drive the performance of every element of the marketing funnel. Nice guy who does a great job.

  • Alexander Lyakhostskiy
    Alexander Lyakhostskiy

    Founder & CEO - Pass The Keys

    Duncan was part of the PTK senior leadership team as Marketing Director for three years. He made a massive contribution to PTK's success during his tenure, during which PTK grew more than threefold. He built a capable team that managed our host marketing, partner recruitment marketing, and guest marketing. He has also been integral to our culture. Duncan is a capable leader whose positivity, loyalty, ingenuity and can-do attitude will be greatly missed at PTK.

Testimonials

Don't take my word for it.

Whether you're a small startup or a large corporation, let me be your trusted advisor on the path to growth.

  • Konrad Sanders
    Konrad Sanders

    CEO - The Creative Copywriter

    My agency provided Duncan with content strategy and copywriting services, while he was leading the helm at Arun Estates. And he was one of the few clients we've worked with that truly and instantly "got" content marketing. He had an impressive holistic understanding of marketing, and how content fits into the wider picture. He was keen to disrupt and 'zig while the industry zags'. And his feedback was always well-considered and constructive. Plus, he's fun to have a beer with!

  • Matt Phelan
    Matt Phelan

    Founder - The Happiness Index

    Duncan is a data driven, creatively led marketer with an entrepreneurial flair. He understands both the commercial and human side of running a thriving business. Highly recommended.

  • Lee Wainwright
    Lee Wainwright

    CEO Focal Agent & CEO Purplebricks

    I loved working with Duncan, a marketing professional that truly understands the commercialism that has to sit behind the investments that he makes. Watching him build his marketing campaigns with data based insights which he uses to drive the performance of every element of the marketing funnel. Nice guy who does a great job.

  • Alexander Lyakhostskiy
    Alexander Lyakhostskiy

    Founder & CEO - Pass The Keys

    Duncan was part of the PTK senior leadership team as Marketing Director for three years. He made a massive contribution to PTK's success during his tenure, during which PTK grew more than threefold. He built a capable team that managed our host marketing, partner recruitment marketing, and guest marketing. He has also been integral to our culture. Duncan is a capable leader whose positivity, loyalty, ingenuity and can-do attitude will be greatly missed at PTK.

Testimonials

Don't take my word for it.

Whether you're a small startup or a large corporation, let me be your trusted advisor on the path to growth.

  • Konrad Sanders
    Konrad Sanders

    CEO - The Creative Copywriter

    My agency provided Duncan with content strategy and copywriting services, while he was leading the helm at Arun Estates. And he was one of the few clients we've worked with that truly and instantly "got" content marketing. He had an impressive holistic understanding of marketing, and how content fits into the wider picture. He was keen to disrupt and 'zig while the industry zags'. And his feedback was always well-considered and constructive. Plus, he's fun to have a beer with!

  • Matt Phelan
    Matt Phelan

    Founder - The Happiness Index

    Duncan is a data driven, creatively led marketer with an entrepreneurial flair. He understands both the commercial and human side of running a thriving business. Highly recommended.

  • Lee Wainwright
    Lee Wainwright

    CEO Focal Agent & CEO Purplebricks

    I loved working with Duncan, a marketing professional that truly understands the commercialism that has to sit behind the investments that he makes. Watching him build his marketing campaigns with data based insights which he uses to drive the performance of every element of the marketing funnel. Nice guy who does a great job.

  • Alexander Lyakhostskiy
    Alexander Lyakhostskiy

    Founder & CEO - Pass The Keys

    Duncan was part of the PTK senior leadership team as Marketing Director for three years. He made a massive contribution to PTK's success during his tenure, during which PTK grew more than threefold. He built a capable team that managed our host marketing, partner recruitment marketing, and guest marketing. He has also been integral to our culture. Duncan is a capable leader whose positivity, loyalty, ingenuity and can-do attitude will be greatly missed at PTK.