Ad Campaign Historical Perspective

It's been 10 years since C.A.R. launched its first consumer advertising campaign, marking the first of three advertising initiatives aimed at reinforcing to home buyers and sellers the value of using a REALTOR®.  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 just one year after the launch 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 the 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 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 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 11 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.

This month the Association launched a bold, new theme for its consumer advertising campaign: "California REALTORS® - Your peace of mind."  It's the Association's most expansive consumer advertising campaign since 1997 and includes new radio commercials, online components, search engine marketing, and customizable collateral materials that members can use in their own marketing efforts. Through powerful vignettes and imagery, the 2007 Consumer Advertising Campaign asserts that REALTORS® are a trusted source for guiding consumers through the emotional roller coaster of buying or selling a home.

Since 1997, when C.A.R. launched the "Real Estate Is Our Life^TM" TV campaign, to the more recent "REALTOR®--The Most Important Title In Real Estate^TM" 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 they receive by working with a REALTOR® when buying or selling a home.