Realtor.com's 'Public Reality Announcements' Reveal the Truth behind Home Buying

Realtor.com today introduced its new “Public Reality Announcement” spots that intercept people watching real estate, reality, and food TV shows to help them understand there's a big difference between the homes they're seeing on screen and the reality of home buying. The seven spots are part of realtor.com’s new brand campaign, “Homes for the Real of Us,” which is built around the simple idea that real people need real places to live, rather than the fantasy frequently implied in a majority of real estate advertising.

When it comes to searching for a home, consumers want real; they don’t want to see luxurious homes they can’t afford, they want a realistic picture of a home search, according to research conducted by realtor.com. The brand’s new “Homes for the Real of Us” campaign, which launched earlier this month, focuses on the discrepancy between the advertising-fueled myths of home buying and the sometimes hard, always exhilarating, and eventually satisfying reality of finding the right home.

By acknowledging the silliness of the stereotypes and embracing the “real” of the process, realtor.com is able to inspire confidence in homebuying to provide what consumers really need. It marks the first work from the brand’s new relationship with agency of record, Huge. 

“By poking fun at these misconceptions, our campaign reinforces that people want and need real information and expertise during their home search,” said Andrew Strickman, head of brand and chief creative for realtor.com. Real is in our name. It’s in our DNA. That information and expertise is exactly what realtor.com offers."

“Public Reality Announcement” is a collection of ad spots, within the broader “Homes of the Real of Us” campaign, that are tailored to viewers watching real estate, lifestyle reality, or food television. After satirizing the show’s unreal content, each 15 and 30-second concludes with a reminder that when a viewer is ready for a real home search, realtor.com can help. These ads will appear on channels such as HGTV, MTV and The Food Network, as well as a variety of digital placements across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

Strickman added, "Although the drama-filled lavish lifestyles of reality TV and luxury amenities of real estate shows can be really entertaining, they also create unrealistic expectations about the buying process,” said Andrew Strickman, head of brand and chief creative for realtor.com.

Jason Musante, global chief creative officer of Huge, said “Real. It's in short supply these days but needed now more than ever — especially as it relates to the home buying experience. It took a brave client working collaboratively with the creative team to strike the perfect balance between funny and informative to bring that message to life.”

“Homes for the Real of Us SM ” is the next chapter in the brand evolution of The Home of Home Search, which debuted during the NCAA Final Four, and across broadcast and cable networks earlier this month, and will appear in cinemas preceding “Avengers: Endgame” later in April. Over the next year, the campaign will appear across the primetime television, major cable networks, and digital media.