The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) wants to demonstrate to Canadians that a realtor should be the sole consideration when buying or selling a home, and is putting a modern twist on a classic nursery rhyme to prove it.
Created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky Toronto, CREA’s new awareness campaign is built around a 30-second TV spot that spoofs the nursery rhyme “There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.”
Shot documentary-style and featuring quick cuts and narration, “Old Woman – Part 1” follows a mother named Carmella as she helps get her many children ready for school. Accompanied by images of kids packed around a breakfast table and clotheslines laden with clothes, the woman tells how her realtor helped find her perfect home and even advised her on such important matters as local schools.
The spot ends with the woman loading her children onto the school bus. As it pulls away, the camera perspective changes to inside the bus, enabling viewers to see that her house is in the shape of a shoe.
The English-only campaign debuted Monday on major networks and specialty channels and will run for the next 11 weeks. A second spot will appear in the next three weeks.
Viewers are also directed to a dedicated web site, HowRealtorsHelp.ca, which features a more in-depth profile of Carmella, as well as a series of real-life testimonials showcasing the role realtors played in helping families find their ideal home.
“We’re trying to show that realtors do bring an added value to the selling or buying of a home,” said Pierre Leduc, a spokesperson with CREA in Ottawa.
According to Leduc, slightly more than 90% of all home sales in Canada are conducted using a realtor, a number that has held steady for what he described as “a very long time.”
CREA launched its first national ad campaign in 2006 and is typically in market each spring and fall.
The industry association represents more than 100,000 realtors working through more than 100 real estate boards and associations.
