Coldwell Banks On Experience To Weather Tough Times

Coldwell Banker With Americans tightening their belts and home buying less of a priority than it has been anytime in the recent past, Coldwell Banker is still seeking to remind people that it has the experience to help consumers buy and sell their houses -- whenever they're ready to do it.

 

"The conversation has to be a little different this year, because of the environment this is," Mike Fischer, vice president of marketing for Coldwell Banker, tells Marketing Daily. "[But] people are always looking for a new home because they've had changes in their lifestyle for relocation for jobs."

In one new television spot, the company showcases a variety of properties, from the real and notable (the White House, Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater), the fictional (the Jetsons' space-age residence and the 'Gilligan's Island' huts) to more down-to-earth properties of various architectural styles. As the showcase concludes, an announcer says: "For 103 years, our agents have helped people find the houses they'll call home." The campaign concludes with the tagline: "Never stop moving."

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"We've been a brand for 103 years," Fischer says. "We've seen good times and bad times, and we know that the constant is that people move for a lifestyle and they always want to have a home."

During the course of its run, the ad will conclude with messaging for both buyers and sellers. For instance, early iterations will highlight the recently enacted federal tax credit for first-time buyers. The time will also be used to tout any home-buying incentives in the stimulus package or to note interest rate changes.

But the company has not completely moved away from humor-driven spots that debut last year. A second television touts the company's innovation bringing back the fictional spokes-characters "Coldwell" and "Banker." In the new ad, they discuss -- via static vintage photos -- a new mobile application that displays listings and photos directly on a smartphone and provides contacts to Coldwell Banker agents. (As the characters narrate, the action is all depicted on a smartphone.)

"We're not only selling homes, we're also selling the technology that allows people to find the right home and the right agent," Fischer says. "It's what differentiates us within the industry."

The new television commercials, developed by Coldwell Banker agency McKinney in Durham, N.C., will air on shows such as ESPN's "Baseball Tonight," A&E's "Sell This House," CNBC's "The Suze Orman Show," CNN's "Opening Bell" and TNT's "Raising the Bar."

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