April 20, 2009

Dear C.A.R. Member:

C.A.R. today launched the Association’s 2009 Consumer Advertising Campaign on the Web, on radio and -- for the first time in 10 years -- on TV. Building on our successful "Your Piece of California. Your Peace of Mind" theme, the 2009 campaign highlights the value REALTORS® bring to the transaction while raising awareness of the REALTOR® brand.  REALTORS® know better than anyone the challenges home buyers and sellers face in today’s market.  This year’s campaign also addresses concerns consumers may have about buying a home today, and reinforces the professionalism consumers can count on from qualified REALTORS® when buying or selling a home.

The television ad is running on the A&E, HGTV, and TLC networks on programs such as “Sell This House,” “House Hunters,” “My First House,” and others. C.A.R.'s $2.1-million 2009 Consumer Advertising Campaign also features two new radio spots, contextual Web banners placed on popular Web sites like REALTOR.com, CNNMoney.com, and Zillow; behavioral advertising on more than 2,500 Web sites including ESPN, Motley Fool, and Discovery Channel; in-text advertising on sites including MSN, Dow Jones, and Mortgage Insider; and search engine marketing on Yahoo! and Google, all directing consumers to www.yourpieceofcalifornia.com.

The site reinforces key messages of the radio ads while providing valuable information for consumers when buying or selling a home. The www.yourpieceofcalifornia.com site also contains consumer-friendly guides to regions throughout California, from the Northern California and the Central Valley regions southward to Orange County and San Diego. In addition to housing market data and links to school, health, crime, and government information, the guides enable consumers to search for median price information on communities throughout the state.

The Spanish-language campaign also features two new radio ads in Spanish that will reach the state's Hispanic home buyers and sellers, and a Web site in Spanish at www.lallavedetutranquilidad.com that contains in-language information on buying and selling a home and information-rich guides to the state's many regions.

The Web sites also remind consumers why they should use a REALTOR® in all of their real estate transactions and contain links to the "Find a REALTOR®" page on car.org (www.car.org), the Association's official Web site, as well as The California Living Network at www.ca.realtor.com and www.sucasa.net for property searches.

Please visit car.org (www.car.org), and click on the "2009 C.A.R. Consumer Advertising Campaign" button in the “About C.A.R.” section of the Web site. You can watch the television ad, listen to the radio spots, view the Web banner ads, and learn more about the campaign and its history. The television ad and radio spots will air through August, and the online advertising will continue through the end of October.

Please turn on your TVs and radios today to experience the latest benefit of your C.A.R. membership. Let us know how you like the campaign!

Sincerely,


James Liptak
2009 C.A.R. President