From Advertising Age:
Pay head to what Realtors don’t say in their latest pitch
It’s one thing for me to constantly harp on the NAR and others for their loose grasp on reality when it comes to advertising, messaging and designing campaigns based on trust and transparency. But when AdAge takes it to task, maybe it’s time our industry take the blinders off and grab a second look at what they push out into the marketplace.
I’ve never liked the NAR’s ethics campaign. It never resonated with me, or maybe anyone for that matter. Honestly, how could it when the spokespeople for ethics are themselves under investigation by the DOJ? But beyond that, can you really sell "ethics" today? Is there a single American who believes anything is ethical because a commercial tells them so? I doubt it. Ethics has been sold down the river in a boat steered by Jeffery Skilling, Dennis Kozlowski, Bernie Ebbers and so many others.
In the words of AdAge:
The campaign, in other words, is a perfect miniature of the inherent conflict of interest Realtors wallow in, like pigs in the sty, all the time. They have no incentive to perform due diligence for buyers. They don’t even have incentive to protect their clients, the sellers. Their only interest is in closing the sale. Seven percent of $500,000 is $35,000, no matter who else takes a bath.
I’m not going to go through each paragraph of the article and point out where the writer is off base or over the top in his disdain for the industry. And there’s no good reason to anyone to get defensive about his statements. Instead, what we should all focus on is the level of bias the writer possess, which I maintain is shared by many. Far more than I think our industry wants to recognize.
Never is there a more important time than right this second to look at everything you do that is public facing. Check it for bullshit. Check it for hyperbole. Check it for self-aggrandizement. If you blog, talk about this article. Expose it. Write about it. Create a position that removes you from the general stereotype.
If you do not blog, think of ways you reach your constituency, your sphere and help them deal with their issues that right now, they might be dealing with alone. Without you.
NAR could hire the best ad agency on the planet. It won’t matter if they can’t get the message straight
I’m guessing some of you can.
- Davison
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As Seth Godin often says…"today you must market with a magnet, not a mega-phone".
The NAR campaign is using a mega-phone, and you can't tell people you're ethical…they have to tell you.
John
While I would agree that walking around touting your own ethics is pretty weak, saying that the NAR can't be ethical because the DoJ is suing them isn't really a strike against their ethics. The case is pretty weak, to say that a private group can't own the material they generate…
100% agree Marc. The others are not much better, especially the one that says something like…
Real estate is more than a home, it's an investment… on average up 6%… see housingmarketfacts.com
How can they be advertising this during these times and with the information that is currently available?
This is so ass backwards, it's not even funny the NAR would spend money on that message.
In my opinion the message should have been something like…
A home is much more than just an investment… a home is a place to raise your family and create memories that will last forever, it's your family's sanctuary.
I'm not as eloquent as you Marc but you get the point. This reinforces the "original" reason why people purchased homes pre-2000.
This emotional attachment to a home is what gave stability to markets. Now everyone is it to get rich quick and looking at RE as an investment which causes an analytical thought process of buying a home.
100% agree Marc. The others are not much better, especially the one that says something like…
Real estate is more than a home, it's an investment… on average up 6%… see housingmarketfacts.com
How can they be advertising this during these times and with the information that is currently available?
This is so ass backwards, it's not even funny the NAR would spend money on that message.
In my opinion the message should have been something like…
A home is much more than just an investment… a home is a place to raise your family and create memories that will last forever, it's your family's sanctuary.
I'm not as eloquent as you Marc but you get the point. This reinforces the "original" reason why people purchased homes pre-2000.
This emotional attachment to a home is what gave stability to markets. Now everyone is it to get rich quick and looking at RE as an investment which causes an analytical thought process of buying a home.