Zero Awards, YCDW & Not an Ad…
To Whom It May Concern:
We humbly submit the attached copies of our three recent advertising billboards along with a Word document Abstract that explains each as well as the overarching narrative we are weaving as a fledgling brand (new real estate brokerage).
The three billboards we have submitted for adjudication here were made public in the following order:
- “You Could Do Worse” [YCDW]
- “Zero Awards Won (No Fine Print Required)”
- “This Is Not An Ad” [left side of double billboard]; “… Nor Is This” [right side]
We are two Realtors in London, Ontario who have started our own brokerage; all we have is our marketing and we are making conscientious and deliberate efforts to stand out with advertisements that are creatively intelligent, self-deprecating, honest and speak to fundamental (and uncomfortable?!) truths of the industry. Further, we seek to engage the client from their perspective rather than trying to one-up our competitors; through our advertisements, we help the consumer decide who they might prefer to work with.
As this approach flies in the face of typical industry convention (i.e., bragging about sales volumes, awards, being #1, etc.) these advertisements have been met with considerable resistance (despite each adhering objectively to all advertising standards); however, we also have been an inspiration to others who appreciate the courage we have demonstrated in being more transparent, vulnerable and human — a touching fact of which we are very proud. Indeed, this campaign has been tremendously polarizing and we believe that speaks to how effective it has been. For context, not only did the story of our YCDW billboard go viral nationally but we have been featured twice on CTV’s hit show The Social, who have discussed the merits of our advertisements.
In advance, thank you very much for your time and consideration of our application in this category.
Thank you
