I'd Like to Show You a Good Time- Wait, Whaaaaa?

Realtor Diana Arvatescu is getting all kinds of publicity from a provocative advertising billboard on what appears to be a windswept Calgary highway. (It might be downtown Calgary for all I know. Many of the main drags in Calgary look like unpopulated stretches of Taschereau Blvd., Newman Blvd., St. John's Blvd.)



The billboard features a  photo of  Arvatescu with  a come-hither look in her eye and the invitation "Let me take you home. It's gorgeous inside."

More than a little provocative. I mean, there are plenty of real estate pros, male and female who use glamour puss photos and their own innate sex appeal to sell houses. We all use what we have. (In my case, that means a sense of humor, intelligence and a reporter's skill at listening, hearing and delivering what my clients communicate. I know, sexy, right?)

This ad goes several steps, further. I think it sends the wrong message about women in real estate.

It is certainly courting controvery in Calgary where the local real estate board has voiced some discomfort about her sexually charged come on. The issue is particularly sensitive in a town where a young realtor was murdered after being lured to a house by a stranger.

What is she selling, exactly? Is she the product or is she the conduit to the product?  We might never know because the agent herself ducked out of a scheduled interview to talk about her billboard.

If you had a house to sell, would you want to see your agent's best come-hither face on a big-assed billboard or would you rather she spent her money on targeted marketing - ads in local papers, flyers, a mailed postcard with a picture of your house?

For the record, this kind of billboard would not fly in Quebec, where the OACIQ (our professional organization) says that we have to use our full names, titles and agency name in our advertising.We can only include information that is demonstrably true. You see the little #1 in the left bottom corner of her billboard? That would not fly in Quebec because it begs the question "#1 what? Who says? Where's the proof?" 

Guess standards are a little looser in Gas and Oil Country.

Nude Nude All Nude

Talk about your real estate porn! An Australian real estate agent put together the above video as part of his marketing campaign for a luxury home on Australia's Gold Coast.

The bottom (ahem!) has fallen out of the luxury market Down Under as it has in many parts of the world. This black and white teaser is designed to make wold-be buyers um prick up their ears, I guess. Nice house, but dude you really should put a towel down before you lift weights.

Everyone Likes Getting Postcards, Right?

Yikes! Remind me never to send this guy a promotional postcard with a picture of a dog on it.
Seriously. I send out postcards to about 5,000 households in my target market, or "farm" several times a year. It costs me about $1,200 to $1,400 per mailing. It's supposed to be a good way to get your name out there, or so some of my colleagues say. So does the guy at the print shop, come to think of it. He wouldn't lie to me, would he?
The big question is always what to put on the postcard. The first one I did last year had a list of charitable organizations in the area that accept clothing and furniture donations - the Sally Ann, the Friperie Renaissance, the St-Vincent de Paul. etc. etc., plus phone numbers, addresses and whether they picked up. Billingual, full-colour. My not-quite smiling mug, next to the broadly smiling face of my cohort, Amy Barratt.
The second mailing had a hyper-local neighborhood picture and a promise of a free market evaluation.
The third postcard had a photo of a property we had just listed for sale. We're planning to send out another in a few weeks, as soon as that aforesmentioned property closes. It will trumpet our genius at selling the house for XX per cent of listing price in 8 days.
I'm open to any suggestions as to what else an effective postcard should feature. I have a cherished Lamey family recipe for a cookie we call "doots". Yup, they look like reindeer turds but taste much better. Should I send out the doot recipe in November as a lead-up to Christmas? My daughter is horrified at the thought, but I think the way into people's consciousness and onto their refrigerator doors may be through their stomachs.
Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?