“Realtors, We Do the Homework” is the first integrated campaign from the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA). It features television spots, OOH, digital display and social media.
Ryan Edwards Communications led the effort, coordinating with PR agency Temple Scott Associates. Trajectory Brands was also on hand to help with strategy and design.
According to Ryan Edwards partner and managing director Jim Ryan, the campaign’s core message is that buying or selling a home doesn’t have to be intimidating if you have an expert on your side.
“Whenever you do real estate, it’s fraught with all kinds of hopes and fears,” he said. “What we’re trying to get at is that these are natural emotions, but like many other things in life, when you have an expert or advocate on your side, it can help you navigate the challenges and opportunities that come up.”
He explained the tagline “We Do the Homework” is a double entendre, emphasizing both the education it takes to become an OREA realtor, and the work realtors do for clients buying and selling homes.
The agency developed a simple microsite at WeDoTheHomework.ca that includes tips on buying and selling and a link out to OREA’s local realtor search page. OREA’s Twitter and Facebook pages were redesigned as well.
The campaign material includes a “member toolbox,” with which OREA’s 50,000 member realtors can customize the campaign ads and create local, community-based messaging. Members can use the toolbox to make personalized digital, print, OOH, television and radio ads that are consistent with the broader campaign.
OREA held a two-stage RFP last year to select the agency that had the best vision for the major integrated campaign it was planning. Ryan Edwards has been working on research and design for the campaign since it was appointed last winter. “We’ve have to do our homework,” Ryan said.
The agency worked “hand in glove” with Temple Scott Associates, Ryan said, to bring together OREA’s existing media relations strategy with social, digital and traditional marketing for the campaign, Ryan said.
