Century 21 "Agents of Change" Campaign is Hit or Miss

This morning we saw a very moving, very realistic spot for Century 21. "The Big Move" features a Chinese couple relocating to the states. The 15-second spot shows us the couple waiting for their agent to pick them up from the airport. The couple is (understandably) nervous about the new home they've selected based on photos and the help of an agent. But the tension is relieved when the agent greets them in their native tongue. It's the realism and genuine vibe of the commercial that makes it work. You immediately relate to the anticipation of the couple, and you appreciate the effort the salesman makes to welcome them. He even confesses he'd practiced all morning and hoped he did a fair job on pronunication. The humility makes him more likeable. The spot works. The mood works. Well done.

What isn't well done is the other commercial that seems to run all of the time. The other "Agents of Change" spot we see features what Seth Stevenson of Slate calls "the nastiest wife on television." In "The Debate" the mood is heavy and we feel like we've walked in on a very private, very tense conversation between a couple. The room is dim and we are allowed to see the rawness of the tension between the two. She is agressively pushing him to buy a house, while he is convinced they can't afford it and is certain cost is just too much of a stretch for them. Anyone who has been involved in a discussion about finances with a spouse - of any intensity - can see this one of many power struggles between the pair. And she seems to be used to winning. Just when we think he's been handed his dignity on a platter in the privacy of his home we discover the agent has been listening in on the speaker phone the entire time. With just a few words she takes the air out of any defense he had left by siding with the wife. You actually feel bad for the fellow. He never had a chance. You're convinced they've just agreed to be "house poor" for the next 30 years. Jim and I were horrified when we first saw it. I was glad to see that Seth and his readers felt the same way.

Both ads are emotionally gripping. But "The Big Move" makes great strides toward building our trust in real estate agents - which is the point of the campaign. "The Debate" seems to undermine the value of the agent by portraying her as an opportunist preying upon the weakness of a husband during an intense discussion. This isn't what Century 21 set out to demonstrate - and it is not an image agents need reinforced. With "Zillow killers" popping up monthly, the campaign is designed to remind us of the wisdom and value professional real estate agents can provide. Let's hope the marketing team at C21 is picking up on the negative press for The Debate and replaces the spots with a more effective sales tool.