Modernizing a prestigious realty brand
Modernizing a prestigious realty brand
Showcases our ability to develop a long-term organizing idea and the outward facing brand platform while achieving client team and stakeholder alignment every step of the way.
Deliverables
- Organizing idea
- Brand strategy
- Messaging framework
- Campaign concept
- Creative campaign
- Team alignment
Business Problem
With a new generation of homebuyers entering the luxury real estate market, Sotheby’s International Realty came to the realization that the brand’s legacy would not hold as much weight with newer affluents as it had with traditional affluents. To attract new clients and agents, it would have to find a unique balance between its rich heritage and a way to express its relevance to younger audiences.
Idea
Using our proprietary Structural Mapping Process® (SMP), existing consumer research, and in-depth interviews with franchisees from across the world, we discovered that there was a conceptual space that spoke to both older and younger generations alike while connecting deeply to the heritage of Sotheby’s: the desire to experience the exceptional, and in doing so live an exceptional lifestyle, no matter what generation one belongs to. The resulting organizing idea positioned Sotheby’s International Realty as “the arbiter and the gateway to exceptional lifestyles”.
Guided by the organizing idea, we set out to create a global campaign that established Sotheby’s International Realty as the epitome of the exceptional, called “Only Sotheby’s International Realty”, or the “Only” Campaign for short.
I had the pleasure of working closely with L’Institut to discover our brand DNA before creating a transformational global campaign.My executives and top agents were blown away by their methods and acumen.
Impact
The organizing idea and brand campaign were unveiled at the Sotheby’s International Realty global conference to an audience of 2,000 agents and affiliates — the same day that the campaign went live in major publications around the world including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Barron’s, Town & Country and many more. The relaunch garnered extraordinary industry media attention and put the Sotheby’s International Realty brand back on the map with whole new audiences.
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