background

When I joined Siltanen & Partners in 2012 as a Junior Strategic Planner, the agency had already established an emotionally-anchored position focused on the “Value of a Home” – a counter to the economically-driven, home-flipping environment of the time. The campaign was lauded by the industry and beloved by the company, so we needed to ensure ownership of the territory with a continuation of strategy.

the challenge

Change is often easier than finding new expressions within an established position. We found new ways to share the love of homes that built brand equity and helped Coldwell Banker’s business grow.

SOLUTIONS THROUGH THE YEARS

In a high-profile bid to capture attention during awards season in 2014, we took a two-pronged approach during the Grammys and Oscars. At the Grammys, we captured the emotional anticipation of arriving home with Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home.” Followed by a more heartfelt message in the Oscars with “Your Home.”

In 2015, we expanded the campaign with a mission: The Homes for Dogs Project, in partnership with Adopt-A-Pet. Finding the right home-related cause started as a search for a cause that matched the brand’s heart and universal relatability. Learning that more homes have dogs than children (and who doesn’t love dogs?), it was a powerful way to mobilize the nationwide network of approximately 6,000 independently-operated brokerages to communicate consistently and on-brand.

By 2016, the housing market was returning to strength and the brand voice could get bolder and more playful. We celebrated the awesomeness of home in a social-forward #HomeIsAwesomeness campaign, opting for shorter formats and crowd-sourced social footage.

Results

This work helped Coldwell Banker own their brand territory, grow their network and remained the real estate industry’s most effective advertising campaign for 9 straight years (according to Ace Metrix).