by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Specialty license plates? Faces on cars? Stretch limos? Sounds like a typical teenager these days perhaps on the way to the prom.
But, it’s not. It’s the new age of advertising in real estate. Rose Jenkins of Watson Realty has her face on both sides of her multi-colored Volkswagon Beetle, making it virtually impossible to not know what she does, who she works for and how to get in touch with her. Susan Kennedy of Vanguard GMAC Realty employs the same technique and she’s one of the most successful agents in the area.
Phyllis Staines of Re/Max Coastal Real Estate doesn’t have her face on the side of her vehicle, but if she’s in her car, she can be reached at a moment’s notice regardless, even by complete strangers who have a question about a house for sale.
About four years ago, Staines was looking for an innovative way to promote herself and realized that the last four digits of her cell phone number spelled the word “sold.” Staines said her decision to simply purchase a specialty license plate has proven well worth the small expense of about $100.
“I’ve changed my license plate to my cell phone number, 476-SOLD, which has proven to not only be a moving billboard, but also invaluable for people who are driving behind me and may have a real estate question or need a realtor,” said Staines.
She said the specialty plate has worked well and even helped her sell a house in a matter of a few weeks.
“Once I was driving through Odom’s Mill in Ponte Vedra when an unfamiliar call came in on my cell phone,” explained Staines. “The caller asked if I was showing property in Odom’s Mill. When I asked how did she know, she said she was driving right behind me and had a home to sell that she was selling by owner. My clients bought her home and we closed three weeks later.”
Staines said the plate has generated a crank call or two over the years and one guy even called her to say how impressed he was that she had sold 476 houses. It’s also cut back on road rage since her number is in plain view.
“It has stopped me from making obscene gestures while I’m driving,” said Staines, adding she gets about a call a week from someone who notices the plate.
Sheryl Vaughn is the marketing coordinator for Ryland Homes Jacksonville Division. While Ryland does use standard real estate ads for particular publications or products, the company isn’t afraid to think out of the box. In fact, many of Ryland’s off-the-wall ads come from Fifth Gear, a California-based company.
“We have an advertising agency in Tampa that tends to the details but our funnier ads are produced by our corporate advertising agency that’s located in California,” said Vaughn, adding the company believes catchy ads not only work, they generate talk.
“Here at the Jacksonville Division of Ryland Homes, we use advertising that stands out from the norm,” said Vaughn. “We present ourselves with ads that have personality; sophisticated yet funny. As for whether they work or not, we think they do. Our ads stand out with their bright colors and comical copy, and we often have customers comment on them.”
Vaughn said all 27 Ryland divisions across the country rely on Fifth Gear for a majority of their advertising ideas and slogans. The company creates an ad book that each division is able to pick and choose from depending on their wants, location and time of year.
“The process is very easy. We browse through the books and see what catches our eye and applies to our situation,” said Vaughn. “We won a Laurel Award for best ad for the ‘Naughty or Nice’ ad this year (it was run during the holiday season). With the ‘Ultimate Sunscreen’ ad, we are giving away small bottles of sunscreen in the sales centers.”
Suncastle Properties isn’t in Hollywood, but their clients get the full star treatment whenever they are being shown a property.
“Suncastle Properties has a stretch Lincoln limo that we take clients out in to show properties for sale,” said Sun Ann Ogden of Suncastle. “We also pick up clients at the airport and whatever they need the limo for.”
Real estate agents aren’t the only ones in the industry that employ catchy marketing tools.
Robert Fleischmann is a mortgage broker with Sun Trust Mortgage. Knowing that the mortgage end of the transaction can be one of the most complicated aspects of the home-buying process — and one the typical home buyer is the least familiar with or comfortable with — Fleischmann runs an ad that features a photo of himself and the simple caption “Speaks fluent Mortgageese.” He said the ad produces a lot of responses and is, therefore, working.