Prehistoric pricing!

Friday, February 13, 2009 Advertising & Marketing: Back to the future: Developer ads tout ‘prehistoric’ pricing South Florida Business Journal - by Jeff Zbar Prehistoric is back. With real estate developers struggling to entice buyers in a market flooded with homes and uncertainty, Centerline Homes has turned to an innovative advertising campaign to promote low-price developments. PreHistoricPricing.com is the developer’s new traditional and online campaign for five South Florida communities. Created by Green Advertising in Boca Raton, images evoke a feel for signs for the “Jurassic Park” movie and products. Ads show a dinosaur, pterodactyl and the headline “New Homes at Prices You Thought Were Extinct.” The campaign debuted in late January on outdoor boards, direct mail, fence-wrap banners, radio and newspaper. It also includes a playful, even sappy, 30-second video of CEO Craig Perry and COO Steve Margolis. The onscreen copy reads: “Are you on an expedition for savings? Centerline Homes has unearthed something historic.” Then, Perry and Margolis find a “dinosaur bone” at Center line’s Briella community in Boynton Beach. Just a few years ago, demand was so high that condominiums and homes sold in days, agency President Phyllis Green noted. In today’s real estate market, the agency was challenged to redefine the new-home market landscape in an effort to motivate buyers and drive sales, she said. While traditional marketing campaigns in a soft economy focus on low prices as a driver, Green decided to hit harder, she said. “Value, pricing, mortgages and record-breaking values have no resonance with consumers in this economy,” Green explained. Centerline’s previous campaigns, which focused on the company’s anniversaries or other events, wo uld not have drawn much attention in today’s market, she said, adding: “These messages have the punch we were looking for. And they make people smile a little bit.” The ads will run in South Florida for the foreseeable future, as well as in Central Florida for six Centerline communities there, Green said. Traffic is up locally, though Green couldn’t discuss actual figures. The video has logged hundreds of hits on YouTube, she said. “This could lead us into going more viral for additional Centerline communities. “It isn’t just sales. It’s the traffic,” she said. “The graphic of the dinosaur and the message seems to be working.” jeffzbar@gmail.com | (954) 346-4393