When it comes to buying or selling a home, the process is often accompanied by a wide range of emotions.
Playing off this concept—and breaking away from the buyer-focused ads we’re used to seeing—Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices recently launched a new TV spot that focuses on the selling process.
Profiling a series of sellers as they get the call from their agent announcing that their home has sold, the television concept, titled “Calls,” not only captures the honest emotions that go hand-in-hand with the selling process, the spot also reveals the value of working with a knowledgeable agent.
Here, Kerry Donovan, vice president of marketing for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, sheds a little light on the brand’s new national marketing campaign and why it’s “good to know” a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices agent when buying or selling a home.
Paige Tepping: How did the idea for the brand’s new national marketing campaign “Good to Know” come to fruition?
Kerry Donovan: When we first embarked on the launch of this brand, we took a good, hard look at the industry and the consumer experience to identify what sets our brand apart from the competition. We knew we had a great name to build on, but we also have an impressive network of agents and affiliates who are critically important to our success. They’re some of the most knowledgeable in the business and we wanted to leverage that expertise. Quite simply, we believe that our agents are good to know when it comes time to buy or sell a home.
PT: What is the overall goal behind the campaign?
KD: Our goal for this year’s campaign was to continue to build on the momentum of last year’s success for the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brand. The new spot, “Calls,” continues our focus on the home-selling process and clearly sets us apart from the buyer-focused ads the industry typically produces. The spot depicts a series of home sellers as they get the call from their Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices agent telling them that their home has sold. It captures the honest emotions of the home-selling process and the value of having a knowledgeable agent to work with.
PT: Can you take me through what exactly is involved in the multi-media campaign?
KD: We support our Good to Know® campaign on a national scale. This includes national cable TV ads, print ads in both industry publications and consumer-facing publications, digital advertising, search engine marketing, social media campaigns and, this year, a promotion with Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of the HGTV series “Fixer Upper,” to provide consumers with good to know tips on home improvement.
PT: In what ways will the national advertising campaign further drive engagement with your customers/potential customers?
KD: This year more than ever, our campaign demonstrates why Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is good to know. Our marketing campaign with HGTV includes a sweepstakes offering one lucky winner $50,000 and a design consultation with Chip and Joanna. It’s an exciting promotion and we believe it will generate a lot of consumer interest. Who wouldn’t want $50,000 to fix up their home—whether to sell it or to make their current home the home of their dreams?
PT: In terms of the TV ads specifically, why was it important to focus on the selling process rather than the buyer-ads we’re so used to?
KD: When you think about it, it’s easy to convey the happiness and excitement consumers feel when they find the right home. But that’s just one stage of the journey. Selling a home is equally emotional and we wanted to capture the honesty of the process and show how our agents are working to ensure that the home-selling process has that same positive outcome. Sellers should know they’re not alone—and that a great agent can make all the difference.
PT: How will this new angle resonate with prospective clients?
KD: This is a build on last year’s spot and we’ve had nothing but great results. Our brand awareness has grown substantially in a short period of time and consumers told us that the seller message hit the mark. Everyone who has sold a home understands that it’s a very emotional experience related to the authentic moments we tap into in our spots.
PT: Can you talk a little bit about how the company is driving its position in the industry via marketing?
KD: Our marketing reflects our brand. It is no-nonsense and authentic. We give it to you straight because when it comes to an investment as big as a home, you can’t be sugar-coating things.
We act like a market leader and are, therefore, quickly becoming one.
And finally, every last piece of marketing we produce is meant to convey that buyers and sellers don’t have to know it all—they just have to know people who do. So we constantly reinforce that Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is good to know, that our agents are good to know, and that the insights they provide are good to know.
PT: Looking forward, what’s on the horizon for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices?
KD: We look forward to continued growth of our affiliate network as well as continued success for those agents and affiliates already on board. We’re still a young company, and consumers are just getting to know us; but after just one year, we were named “Real Estate Agency Brand of the Year” by consumers in the 26th annual Harris Poll EquiTrend® study. I believe this is just the start. We’re on the right path, and the opportunities are endless.
For more information, please click here.
