REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-NAR's Ad Blitz Spawns Major Media Coverage

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Daily Real Estate News | November 7, 2006 | NAR's Ad Blitz Spawns Major Media Coverage
The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ first-ever newspaper blitz, in which full-page ads illustrate why now is a smart time to buy, has received widespread media coverage and earned high marks from members across the country.

“The public reaction we’re receiving indicates how much this campaign was needed,” says Thomas M. Stevens, NAR President.

The advertisement (650k PDF) rolled out on Nov. 3 in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Over the following weekend, it also ran in The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune.

The ambitious campaign aims to urge hesitant buyers to take action now, while interest rates are near record lows, inventory is supple, and prices have leveled off. Similar full-page ads will run in the same newspapers again on the weekend of Nov. 10-12.

In the days after the ad campaign launched on Friday, news articles about NAR's “Buy Now” message appeared in dozens of well-respected newspapers, from the The New York Times to the The Sacramento Bee. Here's what some of them had to say:

“It may go down as the ‘Got milk?’ moment for the housing sector.” — The New York Times, Nov. 3.
“Local REALTORS® at a media event yesterday said it's a lot better to be selling in today's ‘normal’ environment than in the five-year real estate boom when prices climbed 20 percent a year and multiple bids over listing price were offered on the first day.” — The Baltimore Sun, Nov. 4
“The NAR ads say there are strong arguments for prospective buyers to jump into the market, with interest rates remaining relatively low and inventories of unsold homes still high.” — Reuters News, Nov. 6.

Over the weekend, local and national radio shows also featured stories centering on the campaign's message. Meanwhile, REALTOR® associations on the state and local level report an outpouring of positive comments from members who’ve been trying to motivate buyers who are waiting on the sidelines.

“Real estate professionals around the country know that a lot of the negative publicity about the real estate market just wasn’t true,” Stevens says. “They’re really glad we’re setting the record straight.”

NAR is encouraging members and REALTOR® associations to adopt the message in their own advertising to consumers. In addition, local and state associations will be able to localize the ad for their markets.

Learn More at REALTOR.org

Learn more about the campaign at REALTOR.org, where you can read NAR's press release, access talking points on why the market is ripe for buyers, and download a "Buy Now" fact sheet (100k PDF) that you can distribute to clients.

— By Kelly Quigley for REALTOR® Magazine Online