Marketing
News covering the marketing of residential property, lead generation, buying and selling and business development.
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22% of public recognise OnTheMarket, says Zoopla research
The marketing mountain that OnTheMarket must climb to catch up its two main rivals has been revealed today after Zoopla published its latest brand awareness figures. Parent group ZPG paid market research firm Harris Interactive to quiz 1,100 people about which of the three main portals – OnTheMarket, Zoopla and Rightmove – they recognised. It found that 22% recognised OnTheMarket, an increase of 1% compared to May this year, while 90% recognised Zoopla and 83% Rightmove. The responses from the research were prompted – meaning the people surveyed were shown the portals’ logos and then asked if they recognised them – but Zoopla in addition asked them to recall the main portal brands unprompted. Zoopla says this research revealed that 47% of respondents recalled its name while 39% remembered Rightmove and 3% recalled OnTheMarket. The fruits of Zoopla’s ‘always on’ promotional activity is clearly bearing fruit. In recent years it has often outspent Rightmove on TV and, for a time, had a virtual monopoly on London’s black cab advertising. Also, in July this year it wrapped an entire fleet of London buses in purple. Gareth Helm, Group Chief Marketing Officer for ZPG (pictured), says: “Our ongoing investment in brand resulting in consumers…
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Are the online-only agents gaining traction?
After reading the criticism of online-only agents by their traditional counterparts on Twitter it’s clear that much of the industry dislikes and fears the way these digital ‘disruptors’ do business. High profile operators such as Purplebricks, Easyproperty, emoov and House Network regularly feature in the national press and, helped by their extensive PR outfits, are hard at work persuading the public that online-only agents are the future. Research by The Negotiator into the market reveals a different picture. The online-only agents have a fair way to go yet before they can claim to be a major threat to traditional agents, industry data reveals. With the exception of hybrids (i.e. staffed but without high street branches) such as Purplebricks and YOPA, they have yet to gain a significant foothold in the market. There are 21,925 properties currently listed on Rightmove by online or hybrid agents which is 4.03% of the market based on Rightmove’s current listing of 543,612 (minus the online agents). Purplebricks dominates the online sector with 44% of all listed properties listed followed by HouseSimple (12%), emoov (9.8%) and Easyproperty (7.2%), Housenetwork (6.4%) and YOPA (5.5%). Most of the smaller online agents including recently-launch Settled, which lists 316 properties for sale, have the same inventory of a five to…
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Agent investigated by ASA over use of Rightmove Intel data
The potential dangers of using market comparisons tool data incorrectly in local marketing campaigns were highlighted by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) today following a complaint to it about Bolton-based Harrisons Estate Agent. A competitor, Miller Metcalfe, complained to the ASA about a leaflet distributed by Harrisons that urged potential customers to “join the fastest growing estate agent in Bolton” and that it was “first out of 79 agents… our results speak for themselves”. The leaflet also included a pie chart showing Harrisons’ market share compared to other agents accompanied by text saying “sales agreed report” alongside a list of local postcodes. This will all be familiar fare to any agent who uses the Rightmove Intel tool and its Market Share Reports, which come with a strict ‘user guidelines’ manual for agents using data taken from the tool in marketing activity. This, among many points, stipulates that “report results are subject to the geographical context and property criteria which have been defined by the user, and as such this must be clearly referenced alongside any use of the data” and that data should be used in a “professional manner”. Harrisons appears to have stuck to the guidelines except in one element, it…
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Zoopla claims 40 branches have returned to it from OTM
Zoopla Property Group has announced that over 40 agent branches have recently returned to it after initially leaving to list with on OnTheMarket, including a raft of multi-branch agencies and several independents. These include Howard Cundey which has 12 branches in Surrey, Sussex and Kent as well as Jeffries with nine branches in Hampshire (including a recent purchase of a single-agent rival). Other smaller but still multi-branch agents include TaylorMilburn with two branches in Essex; Jon Simon with three branches in and around Manchester and Midcalf Nichols, which has two branches in Stourbridge. “Agents now firmly grasp the ZPG value proposition and cannot afford to be at a competitive disadvantage, using services that simply do not deliver value for their business,” says Mark Goddard, Managing Director, ZPG Property Services (pictured, left). “We have the most effective marketing platform, the best software solutions and are now generating new revenue streams for our partners through products such as MoveIT.” Earlier this month the company claimed that in total over 500 agents had returned to it from OnTheMarket. Zoopla currently lists at least 6,446 sales and letting agents on its site while OnTheMarket lists 3,217. These figures do not reflect the number of…
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Hey, young man? YOPA hires Village People for TV campaign
On first viewing the new TV advertising campaign by hybrid agency YOPA looks like a good idea, but will many of the target audience – 30-somethings looking to save on their house move – recognise the stars featured in it? YOPA, which clearly has cash to spend following Savills’ recent £16m investment in the business, has filmed three ads featuring 1970s/1980s disco group Village People – best known for their hits In The Navy and Y.M.C.A. During the first ad which is now on TV the six ageing members of the group are shown discussing whether to ‘move on’ while sat around a kitchen table. Two more ads are to be aired later this year. “The concept of The Village People needing a helping hand to move on proved irresistible for these ads,” says Daniel Attia, co-founder of YOPA (pictured, left). “Aside from the comedy that the situation presents, it’s a message that fundamentally rings true: so many of us delay moving home because the process is so stressful, not to mention hugely expensive.” YOPA started out as an online-only agent and its acronym used to stand for ‘Your Online Property Agent’ but in August last year it changed its business model…
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Fine and Country returns to TV advertising
Fine & Country is re-launching its story-telling TV advertising campaign advert following the success of their advertising campaign in March. The re-launch will run from this September until the end of October. This time the TV advertising campaign gets snappier – with a ten-second advert rather than thirty-seconds. The advert will run again on More 4, Home, 4oD and two new channels Drama and Yesterday. Using the theme of ‘story telling’, the advert focuses on the importance of choosing the right agent who understands how to turn a home into a bestseller. The original thirty-second version of the advert will still be available on the Fine & Country website and YouTube channel. That version shows different life events that happen inside the home, from an exciting birthday party, to the everyday happiness like being with the family dog and a little girl playing in her bedroom. “This is an exciting time for Fine & Country,” said David Lindley, CEO of Fine & Country. “Brand awareness has increased by over 5 per cent within the first three months of the first advert running, and has been viewed over 13 million times. We want this figure to keep growing.” The story telling style…
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Beresfords present home sellers with an Audi A1
Mr & Mrs Plank said, “We were shocked and cried for about an hour!”
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Mini adventure on the Isle of Wight
Hose Rhodes Dickson has seven offices on the Isle of Wight, making it the largest independent agency on the island. They have recently taken delivery of 13 new Minis from Snows Mini, through their Isle of Wight dealership. Matthew White, Partner at Hose Rhodes Dickson, says, “The Minis will be used by our staff, travelling between the many desirable properties across the island.” To celebrate the smart new Minis, the agency (with Snows Mini) has launched a public competition to win a Mini for the weekend, complete with a stay at the Balmer Lawn Hotel in the New Forest. To win the prize, people have to spot the Mini that is number 13 – clues to its whereabouts are being released on the Hose Rhodes Dickson Facebook page and on Twitter. Once spotted, entrants need to take a selfie with the Mini and post it on facebook, Twitter or Instagram, using the hashtag #iowMINIhunt – and tag Hose Rhodes Dickson (@HRDiw) and Snows MINI (@SnowsMINI).
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Keeping cool in London courtesy of Portico
It’s summer in the city and the ice cream vans are everywhere – but find the ones branded Portico!
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OnTheMarket visits rise as Zoopla goes on the buses
Eight million visits recorded in June – an increase of 33 per cent since January, says CEO Ian Springett.
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