Things are heating up out there in the real estate market. And we’re not just talking about prices.
News Corp.-owned Move, Inc.’s Realtor.com is launching a major new look and national ad campaign featuring Elizabeth Banks (Hunger Games, 30 Rock, etc.) with the intent to take a bigger chunk of the online market. The move could be seen as a tactic to better compete with Zillow for online eyeballs. Zillow is the undisputed leader with 140 million unique visitors for the month of March.
Realtor.com’s new TV ad campaign will launch May 18 on major channels, including HGTV, Bravo, TBS, Comedy Central and Spike, with online ads to follow shortly after. Realtor.com will also air a 30-second slot during the final Late Show with David Letterman on May 20.
In the release, Realtor.com states that the campaign intends to “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.” That’s an indirect slam at Zillow, which Realtor.com has taken to task in recent months for the quality of its listings. Zillow has shot back by signing up alliances with nearly 235 Multiple Listing Services across the country.
The first Realtor.com spot called “Jim” has Banks whipping out alliterations right and left, proclaiming Everyman Jim to almost superhero-like status as he “masters” the real estate market. Fun fact: The ads are directed by Fred Savage, you know, the kid from The Wonder Years.
Realtor.com’s online offerings and apps also sport a new look and a new logo, with “real” called out in bright red letters, and tagline “real estate in real time.”
Zillow announced during its earnings call and in a statement that it also plans to step up its ad game. As we reported, they will spend more than $100 million on ads, with the bulk of that spend set to come in the second half of this year.
Getting MLS has been a point of contention between Zillow and Move, as we reported in March “when ListHub — a unit of News Corp.-owned Move Inc. — said that it would terminate its feed of listings to Trulia, costing the Zillow-owned unit 25 percent to 40 percent of its direct listings.”
Zillow and Move have also been scrapping over the last year over the fact that Zillow hired some of Move’s rock-star employees, including executive Errol Samuelson. Move even filed suit against Zillow and Samuelson over the hire.
See the new TV spot below:
