February 21st - 2014

Campaign boosts public perception of REALTORS®

Realtor shows professional man a property on left side of campaign posterAn exciting new ad and media relations campaign has enhanced the public perception of REALTORS®, recent surveys reveal.

Realtor shows professional man a property on left side of campaign poster

Realtor shows professional man a property on left side of campaign posterAn exciting new ad and media relations campaign has enhanced the public perception of REALTORS®, recent surveys reveal.

In fall 2013, the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) launched a mass advertising campaign to promote the value of REALTORS® and new research data show that that message has been sent and received – with hugely impressive results.

The REALTORS® we do the homework™ campaign featured television commercials, billboards and social media, along with the creation of a consumer website, www.wedothehomework.ca.

The total audience reach during the campaign, according to media monitoring reports, was 169 million – a colossal number. Audience reach refers to the number of times the television commercials and billboards were seen throughout the province, according to media monitoring reports.

The OREA research unit undertook surveys before and after the campaign to gauge its overall impact among both consumers and members of the OREA research panel who are REALTORS® from across the province. The panel surveys were based on a sample size of approximately 1,000 OREA members per survey wave while the consumer surveys were based on 600 Ontario consumers per survey wave. 

The surveys showed that the campaign reached more than half (52 per cent) of REALTORS® in the province, as well as one quarter (25 per cent) of consumers, who saw either the billboards or TV ads. Survey numbers reveal that the campaign had a strong and positive impact on consumer perceptions of REALTORS®:

  • Among consumers who saw the campaign, 80 per cent ranked REALTORS® as valuable, compared to 65 per cent who did not see the ads, a difference of 15 percentage points.

  • Among members of the public who saw the ads, 86 per cent rated REALTORS® as looking out for their best interests, compared to 75 per cent who didn’t see the ads, a difference of 11 percentage points. Moreover, 94 per cent viewed REALTORS® as improving the buying and selling experience compared to 83 per cent who did not see the ads, a difference of 11 percentage points.

  • Most importantly, among consumers who saw the ads, 84 per cent said they would be more likely to use a REALTOR® for their next real estate transaction, compared to 71 per cent who did not see the ads, a difference of 13 percentage points.

To complement the advertising campaign, a highly successful media relations campaign continued through 2013 and built on the momentum of previous years. The overarching message, REALTOR® value, was embedded in all of the pro-active communication with media.

Female realtorIn 2013, a total of 1,025 media outlets (including newspapers, magazines, radio, television and online) covered stories that were either generated by OREA or that included information about OREA, a 44 per cent increase over the 708 stories of 2012. This coverage garnered an audience reach of 85 million impressions, a 57 per cent increase over the 54 million impressions of the previous year. (Impressions are defined as the number of times that consumers heard or read a story connected to OREA.)

Ready-made articles developed by OREA for community newspapers and online media outlets accounted for nearly 75 per cent of all coverage. In particular, an awareness-raising campaign urging the Ontario government to establish a marijuana grow operations registry ignited a flurry of media attention in March last year. That story appeared on CBC TV in Ottawa, Global Toronto, and in the Toronto Sun, among other news venues.

In addition, OREA collaborated with television celebrity and REALTOR® Sandra Rinomato in a campaign that asked consumers, “Are you smarter than a REALTOR®?” She was interviewed on the national television show, Canada AM, as well as by radio personality John Tory on the program Live Drive. The hosts were stumped over and over again by questions that, as Rinomato demonstrated, REALTORS® can answer with ease, highlighting the value they bring to the buying and selling process. Canada AM has a potential audience reach of almost a million viewers (995,000), while Live Drive has a potential audience reach of 56,500 listeners. These were just a few of the media relations successes of 2013.

OREA President Phil Dorner says the numbers demonstrate that both the advertising campaign and the media relations efforts of 2013 were a resounding success. “We’re absolutely thrilled with the results of the campaign and the fact that the message is getting out there. Our members told us that the most important thing our association could do for them was to promote REALTOR® value to the public, and we’re delighted to have been able to deliver on that. We plan to build on this success throughout 2014.”

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For more information contact

Ontario Real Estate Association

Jean-Adrien Delicano

Senior Manager, Media Relations

JeanAdrienD@orea.com

416-445-9910 ext. 246

Ontario Real Estate Association
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The trademarks REALTOR®, REALTORS®, and the REALTOR® logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.

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