• by Larissa Faw , February 23, 2016

 One of the most anxiety-ridden parts of the home buying process for millennials is contacting a realtor, which is why the National Association of Realtors (NAR) is using this insight to form the basis of its new digital brand campaign.

Developed by Arnold Worldwide, the "Get Realtor" campaign features "House Off," an online video series that take a game show-like approach. One team has a realtor and one team goes it alone. T

hen these teams face off in a range of real-life scenarios – like a bidding war and a challenging home inspection – "depicted in over-the-top ways," say agency executives, adding that the team with the realtor always wins.

This series is supported through social media with content that conveys how realtors help home buyers decipher problems, such as confusing terminology like escrow (or is it escargot?) and identifying all the things an untrained eye might not see in an online listing.

The campaign is supported with research into the buying habits of millennials, the largest home-buying target in the U.S. They tend to prefer to do it themselves, so it is in NAR's interest to help them see the value in partnering with a realtor. For this segment, simply “reaching out” is as stressful as determining a budget. Millennials think they can do it on their own; that it will get complicated if another person gets involved; that calling a realtor signals commitment.

“We were pretty surprised by how blissfully unafraid millennials are of the home-buying process," says Sean McBride, EVP/ECD, Arnold Worldwide. "Our research told us that millennials looking to buy for the first time generally thought all they really needed were listings, and that otherwise they could pretty much handle it alone. Well, those of us who have actually bought a home know about the all the crazy and scary things that can come up when you’re buying a house."

One of the key challenges is to simply make sure this message connects with this audience.

"How do we communicate the simple truth that buying a home is basically blood sport, without fear-mongering?" he asks. "That’s the notion behind our new ‘Get Realtor’ campaign.  It's designed to reinforce the competitive advantage a realtor provides during the home buying process, and to convey just how extreme the competition for a home can be, without being off-putting or scary."

This is the first creative from Arnold for the client since NAR selected Arnold to be its new ad agency last year. Sibling shop Havas Media handles the NAR media account.