Nobody Wants to be a ‘Former New Yorker’ in This StreetEasy Campaign

The white picket fence on the side of a sprawling front lawn. The still silence that stretches along a driveway. For many New Yorkers, the luxuries and trappings of suburbia can feel like a tempting clarion call. But there’s something else about suburban life that they all need to know; something important. It’s that, unfortunately, the suburbs are not New York. 

That’s the message behind this latest playful and characterful campaign for StreetEasy, Zillow’s NYC brand. “Never Become a Former New Yorker”, a series of ads implore us, hammering the message home with visuals depicting a future of banality for those departing the city. 

And that’s not all - nostalgic New Yorkers who’ve left behind bodega cats for cul-de-sacs can call 1-833-I-MISS-NYC, a hotline sponsored by StreetEasy, to listen to the sounds of the city or air their grievances about life outside the five boroughs. A select number of respondents also have the chance to receive a surprise ‘piece of the city’ gift from the brand. Ads for the hotline will run on social media and placements on New York’s Metro-North Railroad, targeting those who’ve traded the city for the Westchester, Hudson Valley, and Connecticut suburbs.

“We started to think about all the things people take for granted when they leave the city, things they don’t realise they’ll miss. We did research and found that 92% of New Yorkers who leave end up having regrets,” says Andrea Mazandi, StreetEasy’s principal brand strategist. “One of my favorite findings? More than 50% of them end up missing their bodega more than their family and friends.”

"From a creative strategy perspective, we knew we could take a bold approach if we tapped into something exceptionally true for New Yorkers,” adds Mother NY’s strategist Evan Carpenter. “That’s something StreetEasy has become really famous for – tapping into these insidery, shared truths of New Yorkers, celebrating them, and amplifying them.”

From a big-picture strategy point of view, there was another priority for the team on top of that. “A really important underpinning of the campaign was the idea that when people think about buying a home, they immediately think ‘buy in the suburbs’. They don’t necessarily consider staying in New York City,” explains Andrea. “At StreetEasy, we believe that buying and living in New York City can be compatible. Buying a home is a complex journey no matter where you are, but right now, it's actually more complicated to buy outside the city than in the five boroughs. If you're going to undertake that process, we think you should consider New York City just as much as anywhere else.”

To achieve that, the team knew they needed to cut through the hyper-saturated ad market in New York in a way that connected to a serious and profound life decision their target audience were weighing up. 

“To do that, we really approached this as character-driven work”, says Evan. “We even used a costume designer instead of a stylist on set because we wanted someone who would approach this as character-driven work — not just styling people, but creating fully fleshed-out characters with backstories.”

That’s something that really shines through in the finished ads. The characters - invariably slumped in suburban surroundings and lost in their thoughts - come across as classic fish-out-of-water sitcom subjects. 

“That’s really affirming to hear – the humor and creative work we do with Mother feels so specific and authentically New York”, says Andrea. “I always know when the campaign is hitting – not from our media reps, but because our social channels blow up. I know it's on the subway when I see people talking about it online.”

At the same time, perhaps there’s something else about this campaign that’s striking a chord with the modern New Yorker. During our call, I suggest to Andrea and Evan that there’s a popular trend of complaining about city life on social media channels - especially enjoyed by people living in cities. In juxtaposition to that, the campaign is a full-throated celebration of New York, framed in a way that’s realistic to the city’s quirks. 

“I think complaining about New York is every New Yorker’s right,” says Evan. “It’s like family – you’re allowed to complain about yours, but no one else is. This campaign taps into that energy, it’s New Yorkers coming to the defense of the city they love.”

“If we had positioned this as ‘New York City is the city where dreams come true’, people would have rejected it,” adds Andrea. “A New Yorker sitting on the subway with a rat running over their foot would roll their eyes at that kind of messaging.”

That effort to strive for authenticity feeds into so many aspects of the campaign, like the hidden details and easter eggs scattered throughout each of the ads. “My favorite details were on the lawnmower – tiny stickers that felt so special. They perfectly captured that particular character’s vibe: very East Village, very punk, or rather, former East Village,” continues Andrea. “If the campaign was about missing something, it could have easily turned sentimental. But in every execution, it had to maintain that distinct New York energy.”

It’s a sentiment perhaps best summed up by the comi-tragic pizza box briefly seen towards the end of one of the spots. The characters in that ad are seen settling for ‘New York-style Pizza’, in lieu of New York pizza itself. 

“I’m so glad we did that, because it kind of sums up the sentiment behind the campaign,” concludes Evan. “It’s a little cheeky, but it’s also true. And for those who have left, it’s meant as an olive branch - New York is a revolving door, after all. People leave, but there’s always a place for them here.”