How a estate agent matched People and Property with classic poster ads

At 160 years old, the group wanted to stand out by showing the people behind the property.

The idea

Unlike other estate agent advertising, the audience is trusted to be smart and savvy, to get the joke and to feel rewarded because they do. The emotional connection made brings to life the unique approach of Marsh & Parsons, creating stand-out and brand fame. This delivered an impact far beyond the limitations of the small media budget, achieving 50% awareness with ABC1 Londoners.

To maximize impact, relevance and memorability, the campaign ran on high-footfall poster sites within the catchment area of the Company’s 30-strong office network across the Capital. Dedicated executions for key events made the brand a part of London’s daily conversation, anticipated and appreciated. Love Lane marked Pride month, Amen Corner was released as England reached the Euros semi-finals and Jubilee Street, the Platinum Jubilee.

A number of well-documented factors impacted the London property market in 2021-22, including various levels of lockdowns, remote working enabling people to move further afield, the ‘race for space’ outside the Capital, international movers staying at home and the end of the ‘Stamp Duty Holiday’ creating a potential ‘cliff edge’ in demand. Marsh & Parsons’ marketing needed to adapt to these challenges and opportunities, ensuring that the brand remained present in people's daily lives, based on their current behaviors, with a campaign that would directly connect to the audience. So when people were thinking of moving they would think ‘Marsh & Parsons’.

Realizing that moving home is primarily emotional - not just a financial transaction, the creative showed personality and humor, generating an emotionally engaged response. The campaign celebrated Londoners' diversity and brought a smile to their face, while always building the connection between the brand and the property.

The results

Quarterly surveys enabled the impact of the campaign to be measured across the period. Key tracked metrics were: brand awareness was up 12% – the highest increase in brand awareness of all tracked competitors. Advertising recall increased 26%, and nearly one-third agreed that ‘they are an agent that stands out from the crowd’. Job done.

This campaign was a winner at The Drum Awards for Out of Home 2022. You can see all the winners here. The Drum Awards for Marketing are currently open for entry. Find out how you can enter now.