Ad Campaign Historical Perspective

It's been 12 years since C.A.R. launched its first consumer advertising campaign aimed at reinforcing the value of using a REALTOR^® to home buyers and sellers.  After focus groups revealed consumers' negative perception of real estate agents in the mid-1990s, C.A.R. launched the award-winning "Real Estate Is Our Life^TM" advertising blitz, which included magazine ads, radio spots, and television commercials.

The campaign was an immediate success, winning a "Telly Award" for its outstanding television commercials and significantly improving consumers' recognition of the difference between REALTORS^® and licensees.  Its broad appeal did not go unnoticed by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (NAR), and in 1998, NAR's board of directors adopted the "Real Estate Is Our Life^TM" campaign as its own nationwide public awareness campaign.

As NAR rolled out television ads across the nation, C.A.R. continued to leverage the campaign's momentum, expanding efforts in California to target Hispanic home buyers and sellers. In 1999, C.A.R. translated several of the "Real Estate Is Our Life^TM" television commercials into Spanish, and they subsequently appeared on Spanish-language UNIVISION station affiliates throughout the state. Additionally, Spanish versions of the campaign's magazine ads and radio spots were made available for local associations to run in their own communities.  

Also in 1999, C.A.R. launched a new online component to its campaign, placing more than eight million banners on the Web to help reach the state's Web-savvy consumers and drive traffic to the Association's "California Living Network" (http://ca.realtor.com ) Web site.     

In 2003, C.A.R. refreshed its consumer advertising efforts with a new message: "REALTOR^®--The Most Important Title in Real Estate."  Through humorous radio commercials, the $1.4 Million radio campaign emphasized that consumers have a choice when selecting an agent to represent them when they're buying or selling a home, that REALTORS^® subscribe to a strict Code of Ethics, and that consumers are more likely to get results when working with a California REALTOR^®.

Results from a post-campaign survey measuring consumers' receptivity to the "REALTOR^®--The Most Important Title in Real Estate" campaign and their attitudes toward REALTORS^® recorded the first appreciable, significant improvement in recall of and appreciation for the REALTOR^® designation in the 12 years C.A.R. had conducted consumer market research. The success of the "REALTOR^®--The Most Important Title in Real Estate" campaign continued through 2005 and 2006.

In 2008, the Association launched a bold, new theme for its consumer advertising campaign: "California REALTORS^®. Your Peace of Mind."  It was the Association's most expansive consumer advertising campaign since 1997 and included new radio commercials, online components, search engine marketing, and customizable collateral materials that members were able to use in their own marketing efforts.

And now this year, C.A.R. has returned to television with an engaging ad that capitalizes on the campaign’s "California REALTORS^®. Your Peace of Mind" theme. The television ads will run on cable shows including “Sell This House”, “Designed To Sell”, “House Hunters”, “My First House”, “My First Place”, and “Curb Appeal”.

The 2009 consumer advertising campaign also includes two new radio spots in English and Spanish that address concerns home buyers may have about today’s challenging real estate market and how REALTORS^® can help.

In addition to two new radio spots, the ad campaign features contextual Web banners placed on popular Web sites like REALTOR.com, Trulia.com, and Hispanic Digital Network; MSN behavioral targeting on MSN Web sites such as MSN Real Estate and MSN Money; in-text advertising on Kontera; and search engine marketing on Google, all directing consumers to www.yourpieceofcalifornia.com .

The www.yourpieceofcalifornia.com Web site contains valuable information for consumers about buying or selling a home and working with a REALTOR^®. It also serves as a repository of up-to-date housing market information for cities and counties throughout the state. The site is available in Spanish at http://www.lallavedetutranquilidad.com/ .

Since 1997, when C.A.R. launched its first advertising campaign, consumer awareness of the REALTOR^® brand and the need to use a REALTOR^® has increased significantly. This year's new consumer advertising campaign will continue to build past successes by communicating directly with consumers about the added value and peace of mind they receive by working with a REALTOR^® when buying or selling a home.