How to create a great real-estate marketing campaign

I see a lot of marketing and advertising for real-estate – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Just last week Brad J. Lamb got called out for using William Shatner’s name in a floorplan – whoops!

Mr. @BradJLamb it has come to my attention you are using my name & caricature likeness in your brochures to sell real estate. You are also using the name & likeness of @hwinkler4real & others I do not recall giving you permission to use my name or likeness https://t.co/EBG2lbGBYr pic.twitter.com/moN5n351py

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) November 22, 2017

I don’t even know where to start with this campaign for Trump in Vancouver.

One thing that is typically missing from a marketing campaign is an emotional connection to a product. We continually see the lifestyle shots of a husband and wife clicking two glasses of wine over their views with a hero rendering, or something just totally obnoxious. This does not bring life to the community. This does not bring any emotions to the advert. This does not make people think, it just grabs their attention for a milisecond.

Last week I was shown a campaign for the community Empire Legacy, and I was blown away. Maybe because I now have a little daughter, and am thinking about our family’s future, or maybe because it was just a perfectly designed campaign – no matter the reason, this campaign made me laugh, get tearful, and made me think.*

First, let me introduce you to their video – a marvel in itself.

Second, check out these whimsical adverts.

Impressed? I am.

Boom.

Something about these ads transported me in these homes; I can feel the emotions in the ads; I am connected to these ads. I am an urban guy, and would never want to live more than a 15 minute drive from the city core, but watching this campaign made me look up where Thorold Ontario is, and had me considering moving out there. It had me thinking about bathing our daughter, and the fun times we have in the tub. It made me daydream about the days that she’ll be old enough to sneak into our bedroom and play on our bed. It made me dream about BBQs in our backyard. It emotionally connected me to their project.

Speaking of looking up, I couldn’t resist posting this awful ad from Calgary.

Notes:

1. Combining two emotions while making people think is a perfect combination for a successful campaign
2. Empire Communities is a client of mine, but this post was not paid for by Empire. I did not receive any incentive, or financial incentive for posting.