WASHINGTON, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/
-- Realtor.com®, a leading provider of online real
estate services operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA]
subsidiary Move, Inc., stepped out emphatically today with the
introduction of a new graphic identity and national advertising
campaign that position the brand as the best – and truest –
provider of real estate information and services for buyers,
sellers and renters of properties in the U.S.
The new work was previewed here this afternoon by Move CEO
Ryan O'Hara in keynote remarks to
more than 2,000 industry leaders and real estate professionals
gathered for the 2015 Realtors® Legislative Meetings
& Trade Expo.
The campaign represents the biggest and boldest marketing
initiative in realtor.com®'s nearly 20-year history and
unfolds against the backdrop of a marketplace that has been
seismically altered by the recent acquisition of Move by News Corp
and the merger of competitors Zillow and Trulia. At stake are
online home listings and homes-for-sale ads exceeding $9 billion annually, according to a recent
research report by Goldman, Sachs & Co. The campaign also
coincides with the continued surge of realtor.com®'s
business, which has seen record growth in web and mobile visitors
and the brand's recent ascension to the industry's #2 position.
The new graphic identity will immediately become a centerpiece
of realtor.com®'s communications on its website and
mobile apps and in its advertising. The new look hinges on a
two-tone logotype in which the "real" in realtor.com® is
called out in bright red letters and the rest of the name is
presented in black. It is intended to communicate that while
competitors may feature conflicting or inaccurate information,
realtor.com® stands for what is real in real estate by
delivering fresh and accurate listings and connecting people with
the data, tools and professional expertise they need to discover
their perfect home.
"Serving buyers, sellers and renters of properties with the best
information and tools anytime, anywhere and communicating the value
brokers and agents provide as trusted guides through the process is
our utmost priority," said Ryan
O'Hara, chief executive officer of Move. "This is what we
mean by what's real in real estate – and what sets us
apart."
It is a message that is at the heart of
realtor.com®'s new advertising, which revolves around a
series of 15- and 30-second TV spots and longer-form web videos
featuring Elizabeth Banks, the
Emmy-nominated actress, producer and director who is among
Hollywood's most sought after and
versatile performers.
Ms. Banks' directorial debut, the musical comedy Pitch
Perfect 2, opens in theaters nationwide on Friday. This summer
she will appear opposite John Cusack
and Paul Dano in the Brian Wilson
biographical feature film Love and Mercy, which is
scheduled for release on June 5.
Later this year, she will reprise her role as District 12 escort
Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, the
next installment of the global blockbuster Hunger Games
franchise, which to date has grossed in excess of $2 billion worldwide at the box office.
Regarding her interest in participating in the
realtor.com® campaign, Ms. Banks said: "I'm a little
house obsessed and looking for a new home right now, which made the
opportunity to work on the new realtor.com® ad
campaign a great fit. I love the accessibility of
realtor.com®. My husband and I email each other photos
of houses to look at and the other person can pull them right up –
no matter where they are. The realtor.com® app literally
allows you to take the home buying experience with you everywhere
in your daily life."
The new realtor.com® campaign – which is unified by
the tagline "real estate in real time" – was created by Pereira
& O'Dell New York, the company's advertising agency, under the
direction of Andrew Strickman,
Move's head of brand and chief creative. In it, Ms. Banks portrays
a real estate-obsessed version of herself and delivers the message
with humor, smarts, glamour and sass.
In the campaign's first spot, called "Jim," she observes the
title character using the realtor.com® website to find
his dream home. "You're a real-time real estate renegade there,
Jim Bob," she says. "An
arbiter of accuracy. A phenom of fresh listings. A master of
mortgage rates. A ruler of refinancing. An emperor of escrow. Jim,
let's live in that house together."
The TV ads debut May 18 and will
run across major broadcast networks and cable channels, including
CBS – where a :30 slot has been secured on the eagerly anticipated
final episode of the Late Show with David Letterman on May 20 – HGTV, Bravo, TBS, Comedy Central and
Spike, among others. The web videos featuring Ms. Banks will break
later.
The new ads are intended to appeal to a wide consumer target –
from millennials looking for small, low-priced homes for themselves
and their pets to young couples looking for more space on tight
budgets to families looking for bigger, longer-term homes.
For repeat buyers, the realtor.com® message will be
delivered by integrated advertising positioning the brand as the
best tool for homebuyers looking to make the smartest, most
informed purchase decisions. For first-time buyers, who account for
roughly one-third of U.S. home sales in a typical year, the
approach will feature branded content presented in a so-called
"edutainment" format positioning realtor.com® as a
trusted ally demystifying the real estate process.
The TV spots and web videos were directed by Fred Savage, the Emmy- and Golden
Globe-nominated actor, director and producer best known for his
role as Kevin Arnold in the American
TV series The Wonder Years. Mr. Savage's directorial credits
include episodes of the popular TV series Modern Family and
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the critically acclaimed
kids' shows Phil of the Future, Wizards of Waverly
Place and Zeke and Luther. He has also directed
commercials for a number of leading consumer brands, including
Farmers Insurance, the California Milk Board and Fitbit.
To view the realtor.com® ad spots, please visit:
Realtor.com – "Jim"
Realtor.com – "Constant Change"
About Move, Inc. and realtor.com®
Move, Inc., a subsidiary of News Corp, is a leading provider of
online real estate services. Move operates the
realtor.com® website and mobile experiences, which
connect people to the most important and accurate information they
need to find their perfect home and to the REALTORS® whose
expertise guides consumers through buying and selling. As the
official website of the National Association of
REALTORS®, realtor.com® empowers consumers to
make smart home buying, selling and renting decisions by leveraging
its direct, real-time connections with more than 800 multiple
listing services (MLS) via all types of computers, tablets and
smartphones. In addition to the industry's most comprehensive and
accurate information, Move's network of websites provides consumers
a wealth of innovative tools, including Moving.com™,
SeniorHousingNetSM and others. Move supports real
estate agents and brokerages by providing many services to grow
their businesses, including ListHub™, the nation's leading listing
syndicator and centralized intelligence platform for the real
estate industry; TigerLead®; Top Producer®
Systems; and FiveStreetSM; as well as many free
services. Move is based in the heart of Silicon Valley – in
San Jose, Calif.
Forward-Looking Statements
This document contains certain "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. These statements are based on management's views and
assumptions regarding future events and business performance as of
the time the statements are made. Actual results may differ
materially from these expectations due to changes in global
economic, business, competitive market and regulatory and other
factors. More detailed information about these and other factors
that could affect future results is contained in News Corp's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The
"forward-looking statements" included in this document are made
only as of the date of this document and we do not have any
obligation to publicly update any "forward-looking statements" to
reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by
law.
Media Contact: Lexie
Puckett, lexie.puckett@move.com, 805-557-3151 (office),
805-453-3053 (cell)
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SOURCE realtor.com