Connor McDavid Gets the Advice He Needs from This Real Estate Company
These days, it feels like there’s so many questions that need to be asked. ‘What’s the best choice for breakfast today?’. ‘Where should money be invested?’. ‘Who will win the Canadian election later this year?’. And yet, often, answers end up being in short supply. Whether it’s a lack of trusted experts available to weigh in, or just plain unpredictability and uncertainty clouding the outcome, good advice isn’t as readily available as anyone might hope.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find. Keenly aware of this shortage, and that having uncertainty and unanswered questions pertaining to house sales and purchases is not acceptable, real estate giant RE/MAX Canada and creative agency Arrivals+Departures (A+D) decided that for this year’s iteration of the ‘Advice You Need’ campaign, they would focus not on counteracting bad advice (as they had for the past two years), but being the advice that people seek out.
Leaning into the experience that RE/MAX agents have acquired over the years, the campaign features OLV, OOH, programmatic video and display, and paid social, but centres around two main spots – a 30-second film featuring NHL icon Connor McDavid, and a 15-second short about a couple that’s debating what they should name their child. In both cases, many non-real estate questions are pitched at onlooking agents who, respectively, prove that even if they might not be able to weigh in on shooting technique or name selection, can absolutely still give confident, seasoned and reliable advice on how to proceed within the real-estate sector.
To learn more about how all of this came to life, and what it was like working with the Edmonton Oilers’ superstar, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with RE/MAX Canada’s executive director of marketing, Anthony Volpini, as well as A+D creative director Jeff Collins, for a chat.
LBB> Extending the ‘Advice You Need’ campaign is no small task! As such, what was the brief for this year, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
Jeff> The brief was a shift from counteracting the bad advice out there – which we had done the last two years – to being the advice people are actively seeking out. There’s an expectation that a lot of Canadians will be stepping off the sidelines and back into the market in 2025, and we wanted to reinforce that RE/MAX agents really are the most experienced and trusted in the business… But as always, in the more light-hearted (versus chest-thumping) way that we know resonates here in the Canadian market.
And wouldn’t it be nice if the ideas came immediately! However, we did quickly find ourselves circling a few territories that were about how comfortable a RE/MAX agent’s advice can make the process, and you personally, feel. The campaign then developed out of that.
LBB> How did you ensure the work would hit the tonal expectations associated with the brand, while also making sure the final product would feel fresh and new?
Jeff> We’ve been fortunate to have had a really consistent team over the last few years, both at A+D and RE/MAX, so that brand tone is very engrained in all of us. The other advantage is that we are all very familiar with everything we’ve worked through to get to a final product every year, and we all hold each other accountable to not just repeat it.
The thematic shift to being sought after for trusted advice helped too. It’s easy for a brand to say, ‘You can trust us with anything', but when you take that literally, it becomes a bit absurd, and we knew that could take us to some new places.
LBB> Of course, we have to talk about the fact that you got Connor McDavid involved! How did you land him, and why was he the right spokesperson for the 30-second spot?
Jeff> We had done a spot with Kyle Lowry last year that was really well received, and we wanted to build on that momentum. This being Canada, we knew a hockey player would resonate well with the national audience. (And, being the biggest name in real estate, we wanted to swing for the biggest name in hockey). So, we wrote a ton of scripts with Connor in mind, and Anthony took it from there.
Anthony> I asked a few people who had done work with NHL players, and the general feeling was that it would be a long shot for us to get Connor, mainly because he only works with a few select partners. But we pitched to his team anyway, and they immediately responded very positively to the strength of our brand, and absolutely loved the previous work we had done with Kyle Lowry. So, after a few discussions, we had a verbal agreement to have the best hockey player in the world representing our brand!
LBB> What was the writing process like for each spot? How did you ensure you steered clear of category tropes, while indicating RE/MAX’s experience as a category leader?
Jeff> The first thing we always try to do is look for the pain points. It can be very easy in this category to go the Pollyanna route and show the joy of finding the perfect home, and the emotion of making a dream come true. But anyone who has been through a house hunt or sale knows it can be stressful, scary, and outright sucks sometimes. So, we try to live in more of the imperfect moments and show how RE/MAX, as the category leader, can make those better.
This year’s iteration let us steer a little wider, because now we could lean into the stresses felt around some other big decisions.
LBB> Who directed the work, and what made them perfect for the job?
Jeff> The McDavid spot was directed by Tim Hamilton. Tim has always had a great comedic sensibility in his work and comes with a lot of experience directing athletes and celebrities. It was clear from the start that he understood the misdirect and the overall tone we were hoping to achieve.
The ‘Naming’ (and another yet to be released spot) was shot by Matt Pittroff. Matt has worked on several spots for the campaign over the years, so it was only natural, and wonderful, to have him involved again. He has a real knack for the condensed storytelling needed for 15-second spots, but still always helps us make room for some extra comedy.
Additionally, both directors have a good eye for casting, which has so often been a strength in this campaign.
LBB> How did the shoot go? Where did you film, and how long did it take?
Anthony> The shoot was pretty simple compared to others we have done. The Connor script only features two actors (including Connor), and has him doing something he is obviously accustomed to doing, so I think that made him really comfortable. Plus, shooting in Edmonton made things easy for Connor, which I think put him in a good head space for the shoot.
LBB> Do you have any anecdotes from the experience?
Jeff> No anecdotes I’m willing to commit to print.
Anthony> Ha ha. I remember we were shooting a TikTok spot with a script that pokes fun at the way hockey players talk, and Connor said, “you know, we don’t actually talk like that.” It was funny, and was an indication to us that he was locked in. But, he was also willing to have some fun, so we kept the script the same, which he thought was funny. He might have even thrown a few of his own lines out.
LBB> Specifically, some of the action sequences with Connor are super cool. On a technical level, what did it take to capture the footage of him taking shots at the goal?
Jeff> I’m sure Tim will want us to say it was an incredibly technical endeavour, but for us, it felt like it was just about letting Connor do his thing. He’s the best of the best – he is going to put the puck where you want it every time, so you never have a wasted take.
Obviously, we wanted to find some interesting angles and framing, so we shot at different frame rates throughout the day as well so we would have the ability to slow things down and ramp them back up in the edit. The goal was to make it feel like you’re watching an ad for a sports drink or apparel company off the top… But definitely not a real estate one.
LBB> And what was working with him on set like?
Anthony> Connor came in prepared and moved quickly – he knew what was expected of him and how to keep everyone on set comfortable.
Jeff> Honestly, he was great. One of the first things he said to us was to the effect of, ‘I’m an athlete, not an actor, so feel free to give me all the direction you want or need’. That’s a great way to start the day – knowing that you’re all after a great outcome and you don’t have to tiptoe around an ego. And, as the day went on, he got more and more comfortable and fell into his groove.
Also, not to brag, but a lot of the crew out there had worked with him many times previously, and they said it was the happiest they had seen him on set.
LBB> The other actors do a great job as well! Did you work with actual RE/MAX employees as the agents? And how did you work to bring out strong performances from everyone?
Jeff> We don’t use actual agents, but those are 100% authentic lapel pins. Just like the pros wear!
We’re all big fans of improv on set. We look for the moments in the script where we think we can get the most ‘bonus comedy’ in advance, and we let the actors (and creatives) loose pretty much right from the start of the day. Of course we shoot the script as is, but that playfulness always seems to create a great mood on set, and that in turn leads to great performances.
LBB> Of course, this is a multi-channel campaign. How did you approach bringing this to life in other formats, such as OOH, and ensure it would land consistently?
Jeff> Again, the team’s consistency helps there, but once we had the crux of the campaign, we just made sure we looked at every piece through that lens. From an OOH board to a banner ad driving to a blog post, the tonality, art direction – everything really – must feel like it is consistently coming from the same place and working to tell the same story.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Anthony> I think the biggest challenge, which A+D overcame, was finding a way to use an athlete to get across our key message: that RE/MAX agents are the most experienced and trusted. And, of course, they figured out how to do it in a way that is entertaining, fits with our brand tone, and stays authentic to the athlete’s personality. So, we stayed true to that objective through the whole process.
LBB> What lessons have you learned from the making of this campaign?
Jeff> I think one big lesson comes from exactly the challenge Anthony mentioned, and that is when you are working with a celebrity, to do so in an authentic way. Write to their personality, but also do it in a way that injects them into your brand universe rather than just slapping your logo over footage of a famous person.
LBB> Since launch, how have people responded to this campaign?
Anthony> One of our primary audiences is RE/MAX agents. There are over 25,000 of them across Canada, and we obviously want them to feel great about the brand they are a part of. I am happy to report the response has been overwhelmingly positive so far. We have an extension of the campaign releasing soon (in the form of a contest with Connor), and our agents are anxious to activate it in their local communities. It’s too early to speak to consumer results, but we are very bullish.
LBB> Finally, is there an element of this campaign you’re most proud of?
Anthony> For RE/MAX, having the greatest hockey player in the world represent our brand is a huge source of pride. And, having him do so in a way that is creative, unexpected, and puts the focus on our agents, is the cherry on top.
Jeff> I really think that we’ve brought a version of Connor to audiences that they haven’t seen before. We’ve seen him in a few new ads since the start of the season, but I truly believe that we’ve done something with him that is going to stand out.
And, at the risk of sounding a little Pollyanna, I’m really proud of the partnership A+D and RE/MAX continue to build year after year with this campaign.
