Necessity is the mother of invention for developers

Tough times for China's developers are creating a showcase for marketing experts, whose creative and sometimes downright bizarre ideas are desperately wanted by property companies grappling with continuous downturn.

September, a traditional high season for home sales in China, was largely a bust.

The latest example of creative marketing came from Country Garden Holdings Co Ltd. People who buy apartments at the company's projects in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, can go to its sales centers and spend 1 yuan (16 cents) to buy a coupon with a face value of 10,000 yuan.