I am always on the hunt for marketing that is fun, unique and viral. I came across this awesome video from NP Dodge Real Estate this week that incorporates all of those themes.

They posted it on the Inman News Facebook page and I knew immediately I had to feature this on FOREM!

I interviewed Jodee Drake-Soto, Vice President of Marketing for NP Dodge Real Estate this week to get the “skinny” on this video. Jodee led with project with the support of the NP Dodge marketing team and Amoura Productions. NP Dodge currently has 15 offices and 500 agents and is the oldest real estate company in the United States – 2010 marked NP Dodge’s 155th year in business.

Jodee says,

“As the oldest real estate company in the United States, we can sometimes be regarded as old and conservative.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Our culture is hard to describe on paper but you feel it when you walk into any of our offices—from the warm greeting you receive to the feeling like you’re part of the family when you meet with our professionals.

The pride of the company and support for one another is contagious.  We are a family growing every day.

Click here to view the video

Q: When was this video announced? What has the reaction been?

A: This video was introduced at our annual awards celebration event held on Friday, February 11, 2011. With the support of our division’s president, Mike Riedmann, we combined our awards celebration and holiday party into one event celebrating 2010.

The response has been outstanding!  We believed our agents and employees would enjoy it but didn’t realize how strongly they would embrace it.  The anticipation and excitement leading up to the video debut was wonderful.  Cheers, laughter and smiles filled the room and set the tone throughout the entire evening.  As the video has been shared with others, the excitement continues to grow each day with many from our local community embracing it as well.

The positive feedback ranging from emails to even being approached as you walk by has shown how much people are enjoying it and loving NP Dodge.

Q:  Who came up with the idea?

A: I enjoy pop culture and finding innovative ways to brand your organization.  I thought a lip dub would not only be fun to direct, but also an opportunity to showcase our talent—our agents and employees—and help others gain some insight into our amazing culture.

Q: How in the heck did you get so many Realtors on board with it?!

A: In November, I called N.P. (Nate) Dodge V and asked if he and his father, N.P. (Sandy) Dodge IV would participate in our special video to kick off our annual awards celebration.  He was on board and said they would do whatever was needed to make it a success.  (Please note:  Nate and Sandy are the two gentlemen that high five each other in the beginning of the video.)

On December 21st, I met with our management team and introduced the video project for our awards event.  Each manager received information about their section of the song along with some scene ideas.

Since this was a completely new endeavor for us, I asked the managers to embrace this project, use their creativity, and have fun with their agents.  It was an opportunity for each office to shine and show off their unique personalities and help show the energy in their offices.

Dress code, props, dance moves, scene ideas etc. could all be decided by their team members.  I told them it’s a new era for NP Dodge celebrations – let us see and feel the energy in your offices.

Q: How long did it take to create?

A: The filming took four full days in early January.  In June 2010 I announced to the NP Dodge marketing team we would be doing a lip dub to “I’ve Gotta Feeling”.

We worked on concepts periodically throughout the next few months.  I met with possible video production companies in October and selected Amoura Productions in November.  Late December I introduced the idea to our management team and two weeks later we were filming.

Q: Where was it filmed?

A: We shot footage at ten sales offices, two corporate offices and the convention center where the event was held.  The locations included Omaha, Papillion, La Vista, Fremont, and Blair, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Q: How did you select the song?

A: I selected the Black Eyed Peas song “I’ve Gotta Feeling” to introduce our new format for our first combined celebration.  As the lyrics go…“I’ve gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna to be a good night, that tonight’s gonna be a good night, that tonight’s gonna be a good, good night” really captured the spirit of the evening.  The last segment of the video shows our management team walking in the doors of the convention center and proceeding to the ballroom with our president, Mike Riedmann, opening the door of the ballroom.

Thanks Jodee for your time and for your creativity to put this together. I can only imagine the time and organization it took to pull this off. Hats off to NP Dodge for thinking outside the box and doing something new and fun!

You can find NP Dodge on Facebook and Twitter.

What do you think? I’d love your feedback on this – leave me a comment below!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News @katielance

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I love going to the movies. I love the whole experience; the popcorn, the soda, the previews, being a part of the big audience, getting caught up in the plot, etc. Being a big fan of marketing, I always love a movie a little bit more if it has a great business theme or does a great job at marketing itself.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Favorite Negotiating Movie

• Wall Street – Greed is good? Maybe not anymore (especially if you are a real estate agent) , but you have to love Michael Douglas in this. Did you hear a sequel is in the works?

Favorite Sales Movie

• Tommy Boy — No one has probably had as many objections as this guy. Need a boost on how to improve your listing presentation – or how NOT to do it? Then rent this one!
• Glengarry Glen Ross — ABC: Always, Be, Closing.  Aren’t you glad you your sales manager or broker isn’t this tough on you?
• Boiler Room - A more modern version of Glengarry Glen Ross – this movie epitomizes what happens when the quest for money and power cloud your judgment.

Favorite Inspiring Business Movie

• Flash of Genius – Ever feel like it was you against the world? Its easy for a real estate agent to feel that way. In this movie, one man takes on the entire auto industry. This is a very inspiring movie (and true story) that makes you believe with persistence, anything is possible!
• Jerry McGuire – Help me, help YOU! Wondering what a mission statement is all about? Need help with your business plan? Looking to be inspired? Look no further!

Favorite Marketing
 of a Movie

• The Dark Knight and Cloverfield – Viral marketing at it’s best. These two movies looked beyond traditional media and created some of the most effective and entertaining viral marketing campaigns ever! Rabbit holes led to clues, that led to mysterious web sites and dedicated fans – these two movies are great examples of what can be done when you really think ‘outside the box.’

Bonus: Top 10 Movie Marketing Blunders – this is a fun list of what NOT to do in marketing!

What are your favorite sales and marketing movies? Would love your feedback, leave me a comment below!

Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

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Super Bowl Sunday is an ‘All American’ pastime. Whether you gather to watch the game or gather to watch the ads – either way, advertisers know that a lot of people are watching. It’s estimated that last year over 93M people tuned in.

However, this year, a lot of big names like Pepsi are scaling way back and spending more of their money and time on social media.

Pepsi has started a social-media campaign to promote its ‘Pepsi Refresh’ initiative. Pepsi plans to give away $20M in grant money to fund projects in six categories: health, arts and culture, food and shelter, the planet, neighborhoods and education.  “This is such a fundamental change from anything we’ve done in the past,” says Lauren Hobart, chief marketing officer for Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages. “… The plan is to have much more two-way dialogue with our customers.”

How does this apply to Realtors?

1.    You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a lot of buzz. In the past if you wanted to brand yourself you’d spend a lot of money on glossy magazines, park benches, and even worse – grocery carts. These days all you need is time and a plan. Within minutes you can create a Facebook page, a Twitter account and a LinkedIn account. With that you are armed to build your brand. You know those agents who put together detailed spreadsheets and calendars outlining their farming or SOI strategy? That’s the type of detail I’m talking about. To create a lot of buzz you have to get serious about your social media plan.

2.    Get creative. I love that some of the super bowl ads are getting super creative with social media – like Monster.com’s campaign. Having a 2-way dialog is key – asking for opinions, launching a contest, or creating a fundraiser. How can you RALLY your fans and start the dialog? If you are on Twitter create your own unique hashtag – for the 1st time the Super Bowl will have its own official hashtag #SB44. What could yours be?  How about #SoCalRE or #CARealEstate? Make sure you save that hashtag in your search. Respond to everyone who uses that hashtag twice a day – pretty soon the conversation will be rolling!

3.    Pick a few things and do them really, really well. With so many social media options, a lot of Realtors get overwhelmed.  If you’re going to do Facebook or Twitter – be a rock star at them. Post multiple times daily, post great content, be engaging – and treat it as seriously as if you were paying thousands of dollars for it! If you missed my post last week about Facebook, check it out here to see what you must be doing as a Realtor to be successful.

For those of you still wondering the effectiveness of social media, Alterian SM2 has been tracking the Super Bowl advertisers since early December. It has just released the latest version of its social media analysis and the findings are pretty interesting.

Super Bowl Social Media Results 3 Feb 10

p.s. Looking to see some of those “banned” Super Bowl ads? Look no further!

Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

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