My wife and I read to our youngest two boys each night. Gavin, the 7-year old, tends to picks books from my library rather than the children’s that we started 19 years ago with our eldest.
This school year, we tackled Hey Ho Let’s Go, Jonathan Livingston Seagull and The Hobbit. Our current read is Chuck Liddell’s Iceman, My Fighting Life … or, more precisely, the abridged version with lots of daddy edits.
Last night, during bedtime reading, we had a guest: Max, the charming new mascot for Homegain.
Max arrived yesterday, sent by his trainer, Louis Cammarosano, HomeGain’s GM. Gavin found the creature quite appealing. Perhaps it was the plush orange outer fur. Or maybe it was Max’s disarming smile. Or the cushy inner stuffing that made Max tender to the touch.
Whatever it was, they became instant friends.
Max accompanied Gavin to T-ball.
Hung with him during dinner.
Sat next to him as he played Wii. Later in the evening, we read about Max online. When we were done, Gavin turned to me and asked "Dad, what’s Homegain?"
Great brands find their way into our bloodstream. They infuse themselves into our hearts and minds. They embed themselves into our consciousness. Attain ownership of a piece of real estate in our brain.
That process has a starting point. It could be an ad or a commercial that resonates with a need. Or a website that delivers on its promise. It could be an exchange with a sales person that makes your day. Or something as simple as an immediate response to an inquiry.
Sometimes, it’s something that can’t be explained easily. Like a soft, cuddly Gorilla emblazoned with the logo of an online real estate company.
Last night, I had a front row seat to real estate brand story staring an orange primate who piqued the interest of a little boy. He’s awaiting the sequel.
- Davison.
Sign up for the 1000watt Spotlight e-newsletter
and keep up with the ideas, apps and people that are changing real estate.
15 Ways to Make Your Marketing Mobile
A mist of difference
10 Tools for MLS Awesomeness
I am glad Gavin, like my own little boy, and the children of others to whom I have sent their own Maxes, has taken to him.
During bring your child to work day next month at HomeGain, each child will be receiving their own Max to bring home as a memento of their day at HomeGain.
Max will be going home hunting soon.
Stay tuned.
Cute gorilla. I think the kids will love it but kids these days are of the disposable mindset and it'll be next week's news soon. Interestingly enough, the effect it had on you as a parent was positive and different enough to entice you to blog about it and thus spread the word. Well played Homegain, well played.
I'd be interested in seeing how HomeGain continues to be relevant in an increasingly tech savvy broker nation.
clever play on "mist"!
thanks Mike.
As a former reading teacher it warms my heart to know that parents actually take the time to read to and with their children.
As for Max, you never know what will attract the minds of children or adults.
Between books and instruments and some occasional Wii, we have all but eliminated television.
People sometimes underestimate the power of a great brand, even if it's just branding yourself as a provider of consistently great service.
Thanks!
I think there is considerable underestimation regarding Homegain due to it's 1.0ness in these 2.0 times. I caution all the 2.0 snobs and remind them that being 2.0 does not make what you have smart or profitable.
While I often applaud the efforts and aspects of 2.0 destinations, they are also, for the most part frivolous and have no sound revenue model.
Homegain earns millions, and is a long-standing profitable company because thy actually deliver a service that is needed – another thing many 2.0 sites fail to assimilate.
HomeGain thrives based on the fact that most agents have crap websites and most brokers are too ignorant to create their own quality portal.
However, 10 years from now when you have a far more tech savvy generation running the show I wonder what HomeGain will become.
You've said it yourself before Marc: Buyers today want honesty, integrity and not to be treated as a lead. What does HomeGain do? Sells leads.
I have nothing against HomeGain at all but relying on just lead sales could be their achilles heel in the end.
Good brands reinvent themselves according to the evolution of their clientele. I believe that Homegain will actually evolve to provide agents with a brand affinity that transcends lead generation.
I look forward to it.
Homegain thrives on something deeper than that Joshua – the need for the seller to weed out which of the thousands of agents in their neighborhood is the one to hire. Even if by some miracle they were all high tech. The consumer will still benefit from a system that helps them through the choosing stages.
Besides in 10 years, newspapers will be gone. SEO costs will be through the roof. Social networks will be a completely different animal than they are now. And once Google figures out how to handle the billions of mindless agent blogs that will be clogging up the web, being seen online, being found online, is going to be more of a challenge then than now.
Agents will need a Homegain more than ever as their source of advertising, exposure.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention – I’ve reviewed it myself now. A very enjoyable read
Wiked blog, really enjoyed the information you have here, will bookmark!
If you don’t mind me asking I just wanted to find out on if you could write another post to go a bit further into detail on the topic? This one was great but I would love to hear more!