News Corp.’s Realtor.com unit is looking to put more pressure on Zillow with a new set of digital videos featuring 30 Rock star Elizabeth Banks offering advice on the home-buying process.
The Webisodes — branded “Learn with Liz” and ranging in length from just over 90 seconds to 2.5 minutes — offers a humorous take on what it takes to buy a home. In the Mortgage 101 episode, Banks makes pasta, stuffs a turkey and tenderizes meat while giving the basics on securing a mortgage.
“If you don’t have a lot of questions, obviously money is of no concern to you, in which case, please fund my new startup: We Make Raincoats for Cats,” Banks says.
The Emmy-nominated actress already starred in Realtor.com’s national ad campaign, which debuted in May following plans by Zillow to spend more than $100 million in advertising this year.
But the new 5-part series takes a new approach, breaking down the steps for new home buyers and millennials. Realtor.com says the series is part of the biggest and boldest branding campaign in its nearly 20-year history.
“We want everyone to think of Realtor.com as the best real-time resource to help them make the most informed real estate decisions,” said Andrew Strickman, Move’s head of brand and chief creative, in a release. “Our knowledge that many buyers turn to the Web first for help navigating one of life’s most important decisions, and the fact that many first-time buyers prefer to consume entertainment digitally, drove the development of the content.”
The humorous approach is certainly a different tactic from the ad campaign from Zillow, which attempts to pull at the heart-strings with its emotional ad units about buying a home. Zillow remains on top of the online real estate portals, with 140 million unique visitors in March.