New Brand Identity Brings to Life the CENTURY 21® Brand’s New Mission: Defy Mediocrity and Deliver Extraordinary Experiences
Century 21 Real Estate LLC, franchisor of the iconic CENTURY 21® brand, today unveiled a rebranding campaign that represents a complete overhaul of one of real estate’s most recognizable icons. Complacency and mediocrity have taken hold of the real estate industry, and consumers have become distrustful and indifferent toward real estate professionals. That mindset is brought into sharp focus by a just-released Wakefield Research survey, commissioned by CENTURY 21, in which more home buyers thought buying a car (63%) would take among the longest to do than finding a real estate agent (35%). As far as planning a vacation, home buyers felt it would take longer than finding a real estate agent as well (55%). And nearly 40 percent of home sellers thought selling their home would be worse than getting a root canal.
The new brand was developed around the disconnect between the investment people make in buying or selling a home and the perceived value they receive from finding the right real estate agent who fits their needs. This campaign is launching with a new visual identity, TV, digital, social and print components, plus an integrated cross-channel media partnership with ESPN.
“This is just the beginning of the bold ambitions we have for challenging existing conventions in real estate relationships and to progress the industry in ways that favor the consumer yet directly help our agents and brokers break through the clutter and noise and win in the markets they operate in,” said Cara Whitley, chief marketing officer, Century 21 Real Estate. “Our rebranding campaign is more than a logo; it is recognizing that every broker and affiliated agent has their own way of doing things that work for them, and providing a clean and clear stage for their individual personalities and unique stories to be told.”
As part of the brand campaign, Century 21 Real Estate introduced a sophisticated new logo. The logo features a refreshed color palette that stays true to its iconic gold and black scheme, while also embracing new graphics. By eliminating the complexity and dated iconography, the new identity gives CENTURY 21 System members a clear stage for their unique personalities and styles to shine through, while still providing a simple and timeless “gold standard” seal of approval. Additionally, the new logo enables the brand to project a modern view that makes it relevant to consumers buying other properties, such as apartments or commercial spaces.
The brand introduced the new campaign with a 30-second TV spot, “Don’t Settle for Average (Unless You’re In The Market For It).” The creative profiles a facetious young boy boasting about the characteristics of his home, only for viewers to find out it’s not in fact his, because his family was never shown the place. The spot positions the CENTURY 21 brand as a solution for the 70 percent of homeowners who settle for the first real estate agent they find.
The spot is airing as part of an integrated media partnership with ESPN that aims to build the association between the CENTURY 21 brand and its relentless pursuit of excellence, while also tapping into the passion that consumers and agents share for sports. As part of the cross-platform partnership, the CENTURY 21 brand will be sponsoring “relentless moments” in sports, creating “live commercials” featuring ESPN fixture Kenny Mayne alongside CENTURY 21 System members and executing digital content integrations that will be distributed across ESPN social platforms.
This brand relaunch is the latest evidence of a new era at Century 21 Real Estate, which was ushered in by Nick Bailey’s appointment as president and chief executive officer, and comes on the heels of a recruiting campaign aimed at targeting relentless entrepreneurs.
Source : Century 21
