Over-the-top property obsessives at the centre of property site campaign
Obsessed house hunters who are willing to lie and cheat to get their hands on the home they want are the subject of an online video campaign created by digital agency Amnesia to promote the launch of new features on realestate.com.au.
The videos feature a couple who pretend to be ghosts to frighten off bidders, an airline pilot who flies his plane over the house to drive down the price, a fake heavy metal fan next door neighbour, a man who poses as the naked old man from next door and a couple who give deliberately awful references.
The videos also sit on the House Hunters section of the new look realestate.com.au site.
Henry Ruiz, general manager of consumer marketing, said: “This campaign is a great way to communicate the enhanced realestate.com.au site to our consumers and furthers our ongoing strategy to continue to innovate and provide a superior user experience.”
The social media element of the campaign includes an effort to persuade consumers to share their stories about obsessive house hunting via Twitter or Facebook.
A Facebook-based property game with a $50,000 prize will follow later this month.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large. He returned to Mumbrella as Publisher in January 2025
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Embarrasingly bad – I couldn’t watch any of them all the way through.
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Oh dear, just confirms why I use realestateview.com.au, and the Domain iPhone app. Hardly inspires the hapless house hunter with hope either.
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I agree,
This is really bad, first thought kinda stuff!
At least use decent actors!
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Thanks for the comments guys.
It’s worth noting that the videos sit in the context of the campaign site:
http://househunters.realestate.com.au/
It’s not meant to be a TV show and we like to think these anecdotes connect with people looking for the edge on the competition.
Keep an eye out for the launch of the game.
Thanks for the feedback though 🙂
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i dont know anyone involved from a bar of soap but i think you’re judging it too harshly, people
as Andy said – look at the ads in the context of the site and the game which they are supporting. The ads will help fire people’s imaginations for their competition entries.
I think you’ll be surprised how many people this will appeal to
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Hate the new website. I could use the last one. Anyone tried using it on the mac?
A complete clusterF*&^%
And the ads/videos….oh dear.
Andy, it doesn’t matter what context the videos appear in, they should not make the audience hurl. Did someone qualified write these?
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They are an accurate reflection of the ugliness that is Sydney real estate business.
They look like a bad high school video project written by a committee.
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Yuck and double yuck – a missed opportunity methinks…
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Iain from Amnesia here.
We’re always grateful to hear feedback good, bad, ugly.
Whilst the comments above are negative that’s ok. There’s always more than meets the eye in a digital campaign. We have a very defined brief and clear objectives from the client. No oscars were expected here. These are not TV ads. There’s a broader strategy – and it all has a job to do in the context of their new look site which we have just worked this campaign into.
Fingers crossed we’ll be able to show some results at the end. Right now we’re listening carefully to everything and will continue to do our best to make the campaign a success for realestate.com.au.
Keep the feedback coming 🙂
Thanks.
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There is a decent idea in there but the execution is naff. The gags are ok if a bit predictable but they take way too long to get to the point then attempt poorly to transition from entertainment to product spec…zzzzzzzzz. Could have got the point across in 30 secs not 2 mins.
Not very original, reminds me of another directory services campaign from Truelocal done back in 2008.
Expected more from an online business.
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Amnesia is known for some great stuff…but this is just awkward to watch if not impossible.
FAIL!
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i love the ad industry
on the one hand, people will definitely watch 14 minutes of ads every hour
on the other hand, poeple definitely won’t watch 90 seconds of branded content online
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Aarrrgh this is so close and yet so far. This idea has delicious ingredients but the chefs turned it into a shit pie. Biker one was the closest to being good. Crazy old guy could have been hilarious but really poor writing and direction ruins it. Opportunity missed.
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I tried to watch with an open mind, but I couldn’t sit through the full length of any of the videos, they drag on for too long without being particularly funny. No good sorry.
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The whole time I couldn’t help thinking that it was some kind of amatuer student film done on a handycam after class.
No appeal, the production information is a clear break from the content previous. It doesn’t flow, and it doesn’t interest.
It was just cringe-worthy.
Sorry guys, maybe time for a Carlton Draught style retractment?
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hmmn, i dont know any pilots who say they fly a “jumbo jet”. FAIL.
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I’m not even sure why I’m giving this campaign enough credit to comment about it – Bad doesn’t begin to sum it up… Has anyone actually thought of the homeowner here? You know, the ones that actually pay realestate.com.au to promote their properties? It’s basically showing buyers how to devalue the home and use trickery to bring the price down. Clearly Amnesia forgot that there are other users of the site besides desperate buyers.
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I’m looking forward to seeing the game/app for the $50k prize. the videos don’t seem to be the whole piece of the pie. The new site itself doesn’t look to bad either.
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Sorry Ian but I have to agree in part with Adsuit:
“There is a decent idea in there but the execution is” …well… workman like.
I do however think your strategy and insight were spot on.
I believe that if digital agencies like Amnesia invested in some real, dare i say it, more traditional based creative writing talent and stopped trying to get digitally brilliant minds to produce entertaining ideas outside their skill set, they will be unstoppable.
I would love to meet with you Ian to discuss further if you are up for it?
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Having recently gone through the looking for a new place to live washing machine that is Sydney real estate, I understand what they are trying to achieve but really don’t think they hit the mark. The guy in number one and four who never says anything (maybe he did towards the end I couldn’t sit all the way through the “Ghosts” one, is freaky and creepy and a little surprising he’s with a woman). Also their “fastest route to the next house” map thing isn’t going to do shit if the three or four places you want to have a look at are open between 11:00 to 11:15 even if they were next door to each other. These only exacerbate the frustration of the Sydney housing market, not provide solutions.
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The new REA marketing campaign has been pulled. Read about it on http://www1.propertyportalwatc.....nly-1-day/
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Seems the only time people bother to post a comment is when they have something negative to say. Yawn! I didn’t notice any particularly creative alternative ideas being posted?? I actually thought they were funny.
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What garbage.
I wish I actually had amnesia after watching that.
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I’ve been told that most negative comments are made by un/under-employed creatives
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