• by Danielle Oster , November 20, 2024

Conventional wisdom has it that people don’t want to move close to the holidays. So you’d probably expect real estate brands to keep a low marketing profile as the holidays approach.

Online real estate company Opendoor is bucking those conventions, however. According to a recent survey by Opendoor, homeowners' views about buying or selling around the holidays are changing, with over a quarter (26%) of respondents in the survey saying the season had no impact on when they planned to buy or sell a home. The shift was even more pronounced among boomers (who are also more likely to own an existing home), with nearly 40% saying the season wouldn’t impact when they sell. According to Opendoor’s 2023 blog post on the topic, the company also saw “no decline” in its listings between the seasons in 2021 or 2022.

That shift, which Opendoor has characterized as the “rise of the Anytime Buyer.” seems to be behind the brand’s holiday approach, with the brand releasing the second ad in its “Reasons To Move” campaign ahead of the holidays. In “Bright Lights,” the holiday season provides one of those reasons – number 125, to be precise. Opendoor worked with VaynerMedia and Eva Nosidam Productions on the comedic ad directed by Eva Nosidam Productions.

“Bright Lights" depicts one restless man reaching his breaking point over his neighbor’s over-the-top lights display, with the incessant candescence seeping through his bedroom window and loud mechanical Santa display enough to drive him to decide to buy a new home.  The ad launched on the brand’s social media pages, and is running across channels including OTT, CTV, and broadcast.

“The campaign stemmed from one of Opendoor's top performing social series called ‘Reasons to Move.’ Opendoor considers social media to be a powerful insights engine, and sees high engagement when spotlighting consumers' motivations behind selling a home,” Opendoor CMO David Corns told Marketing Daily. “So, the company worked with partners VaynerMedia to turn this social-first concept into TV-ready creative.”