National Association of REALTORS - Real Estate Marketing Campaign of the Year

Company: National Association of REALTORS®, Chicago IL
Entry Submitted By:Havas Chicago + Havas Media Boston
Company Description: NAR's membership is composed of residential and commercial brokers, salespeople, property managers, appraisers, counselors, and others engaged in the real estate industry. Members belong to one or more of approximately 1,200 local associations/boards and 54 state and territory associations of REALTORS®.
Nomination Category: Marketing Campaign Categories - Industry
Nomination Sub Category: Marketing Campaign of the Year - Real Estate

Nomination Title: National Association of REALTORS® Fair Housing Consumer Ad Campaign

Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched: First messaging went into market on 7/20/20, with the campaign supported with paid media efforts through 12/31/20.

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination against race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. But people are still experiencing discrimination today and are locked out of homeownership. The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) has long advocated for fair housing, but it was time for NAR to do more.

As America’s largest trade association, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) is fully committed and uniquely positioned to champion Fair Housing, already a core tenet of its Code of Ethics, which all members must adhere to. Amid social unrest and calls for action and equality, NAR rallied its 1.4 million members and the public around the Fight for Fair,differentiatingREALTORS®, members of NAR, as champions in the fight for fair housing for all.

Within NAR, the campaign was linked to several key fair housing initiatives. First, NAR introduced the Fair Housing Action Plan (ACT). The plan emphasizes (A)ccountability, (C)ulture Change, and (T)raining in order to ensure America’s 1.4 million REALTORS® are doing everything possible to advance national housing rights. As part of the program, NAR initiated unconscious bias training formembers and developed a discrimination self-testing program for brokerages to assess whether their REALTORS® are providing equal service to clients of different backgrounds. NAR also amended Article 10 of its Code of Ethics, expanding fair housing adherence and strengthening accountability.

For consumers, the campaign encouraged fair housing violations to be reported to HUD.gov in order to reduce agentsthat work against the fightforfair.

As the only real estate professionals who abide by a Code of Ethics that sets a higher standard for fairness in housing than any federal law, REALTORS® are uniquely positioned to increase equal access to property ownership and, as a result, increase equal access to the opportunities homeownership creates.

An integrated ecosystem was developed to amplify this message that included out of home, print, social, branded content, audio and video with the goals of:

●Increasing comprehension of REALTORS as ethical professionals who provide equal, fair treatment to everyone.
●Inspiring and facilitating NAR’s 1.4MM REALTOR members to distribute the fair housing message toclients and communities.
●Increasing awareness of NAR’s fair housing efforts to a consumer audience.

In the first phase of the campaign, NAR put a firm stake in the ground, showing its commitment and stand on fair housing through national full-page print in theWall Street JournalandThe New York Timesas well as a Politico Playbook sponsorship aimed at reaching lawmakers.

In phase two the strategy was to demonstrate REALTOR® understanding and accountability, led by an illustrated videoon connected TV and OLV reaching underrepresented and marginalized groups and BIPOC and LGBTQ+ businesses in addition to the primary target of first-time homebuyer.This was supported without-of-home placements targeted to influential lawmakers in the D.C. metro area, streaming audio, short-form videos on Facebook and Snapchat, as well asbranded content with trusted partners like VICE, Daily Beast, AXIOS, Politico, and The Hill.

NAR’s fair housing campaign was a breakthroughinitiative, both timely for consumers and embraced by itsmembers. NAR successfully proved it's commitment to the fight for fair housing.

Increasing comprehension of REALTORS® as ethical professionals who provide equal, fair treatment to everyone
-Respondents took away that REALTORS® are trustworthy, qualified experts that genuinely care about homeowners’ best interests, including providing fair housing for all. 85% of people said they were more likely to use a REALTOR® in the future due to campaign exposure.
-A +3.0 point (statistically significant) lift in agreement with the statement “REALTORS® can make homeownership possible for someone like me.”

Inspiring and enabling NAR’s 1.4MM REALTOR members to distributefair housing messagingtoclients and communities.
-Fair housing social assets were the most used by REALTOR® members in 2020, outperforming other advertising materials provided.
-The launch of NAR’s fair housing campaign earned 1.45MMimpressions in real estate and advertising trades.

Increasing awareness of NAR’s fair housing efforts toconsumers.
-The campaign garnered more than 30MM impressions with key consumersand stakeholders from July to December 2020.
-79% of respondents agreeREALTORS® support fair housing. The highest percentage falls among Black/African American respondents (80%).
-A +3.1 point (statistically significant) lift in agreement that “REALTORS® help strengthen communities through their work.”
-A +2.5 point (statistically significant) lift in agreement that“REALTORS® help protect and advance homeownership as a right forall Americans.”

- View fair housing PDF to view overall results and creative
- Campaign microsite:https://realtors.wehustlesmarter.com/ (PW: hustlesmarter)