When are you going to close for Christmas?
Some agents we have spoken with are planning to shut up shop as early as today, but Zoopla is urging those companies to think again.
Zoopla is encouraging agents “to keep their branches open as much as they can” in order to benefit from the portal’s latest marketing campaign, which launches on Monday.
Zoopla says that the new ten-week campaign will be its most digital focused campaign yet and aims to increase traffic to the platform by 25% compared to the festive period last year, in turn driving more leads to agents.
Targeting existing homeowners, and specifically second and third-steppers, the campaign, which will use market intelligence and research, will look to capitalise on their collective need for more space, indoors and outdoors, which came to fruition as a result of lockdown.
This marketing campaign will, according to Zoopla, provide fresh opportunities for agents, and the portal is urging its customers to remain open over the festive period to make the most of this ongoing upsurge.
Zoopla will resurrect its 30 second television ‘Power Tools’ advert, which speaks to Zoopla’s understanding of users who have been dreaming about more space and/or tackling the projects that help them to get it. This culminates in a heart-warming, relatable TV moment sharing Alex’s renovation project, voiced over by actress Diane Morgan (star of BBC Two comedy, Motherland). The advert will air across Channel 4, Sky, and ITV, during programmes such as Emmerdale, Sarah Beeny’s New Life in the Country, and Great British Bake Off: The Winners.
The fully integrated campaign will appear across a breadth of media channels, including TV, YouTube, VOD, Display and social, and will feature Zoopla’s brand positioning – ‘We know what a home is really worth’. The campaign will drive a national presence for Zoopla, balanced with a targeted local campaign in key towns and cities.
“Lockdown led people to make a once-in-a-lifetime reassessment of their home, where it falls short, and what it needs to deliver,” explained Gary Bramall, Zoopla’s chief marketing officer. “Key to this is the search for more space, both inside and outside, creating an as yet unexhausted opportunity for agents to capitalise on those prospects who are yet to fulfil that ambition to move.”
He added: “From those who intend to enter the market in January in a rush to beat the stamp duty deadline, to those who simply want to take their time and move over the next six to twelve months, the scope for new business is broad, and Zoopla is poised to pique and nurture the appetite of every prospective move.
“Our market-leading data tells us that second and third steppers are the key to unlocking this potential, specifically the 35-54 age bracket of existing homeowners, who harbour the aspiration and financial ability to move in the near term. After a year of putting their lives on hold and distancing, they are ready for a new start in 2021; they’re more cognisant of how their home does and doesn’t work for them as a result of COVID, which is why we’ve put them at the centre of our new campaign.
“This cohort is also less dependent on the stamp duty holiday, which is why we’re conscious that building momentum across January and February will continue to bear fruit for agents for the succession of campaigns that we have planned through 2021.
“We’re confident that the annual Boxing Day peak will prove significant this year; with more people spending more time at home, in smaller bubbles, having the perfect living environment will mean more than ever, leading to a sustained upsurge in market activity throughout January and into February. This is why we’re launching our campaign earlier and urging agents to keep their branches open as much as they can. It’s unlikely that their investment of time will be wasted.”
My Rightmove rep sent me some data last week showing that the ‘Boxing Day peak’ mentioned here is nonsense. Said it’s the quietest day of the year after Xmas day.
So a bit of Christmas fun…who do we all think is lying? Vote thumbs up on this comment for Rightmove and thumbs down for Zoopla. FIGHT!!!
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No thanks. I’m spending so much needed time with my family.
Life/work is a balance, don’t get it wrong and regret it down the line.
Merry Christmas.
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Right so… they want us to stay open, even though most of us have remained open all year albeit working from home for a few months and, we have also had one of the busiest years in recent times…
erm, no thank you Zoopla. We will be closing down for a few days much needed rest and time with our families next week and making sure we are re-charged ready for the new year. As we are a lettings and sales office, we will of course still be in during the Christmas and New Year but certainly not on Boxing Day!
Each to their own and all that, and I guess it is whatever works for you and your local area but for us, it will be a few days off.
Peace to one and all and… MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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Brilliant, “we’ve set our advertising campaign around Christmas so you should work”. How about you set your campaign for January when agents get back from a well deserved rest. Your client is the agent not the general public. Work for your client please.
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Boxing Day ‘surge in stats’ are a comparison against the stats in days leading up to xmas so any increase looks large in % terms – that is all. Zooplas call comes after they’ve committed to their marketing spend without first thinking will the agents be opening as normal this year! Duh! Think our industry after having crammed 12 months of work into 6/7 deserve a few days off before returning to the mayhem in January which will see the rush to get the pipeline through before 31st March. Also are Zoopla in their marketing going to advise people that they will not beat the stamp duty deadline if they are starting their search/selling process on Boxing Day. Zooplankton should defer their campaign to early April which is when we agents will need their help.
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Usual Zoopla tosh.
Most agents aren’t rejoining, although the weak ones are…
“yes madam, we’re on all three portals…”
these same agents won’t be able to resist making the Bruce brothers rich again..! “Yes madam, we’re on Zoomin, Boomin, bustin..”
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Nothing as cheering as a portal telling you how to run your business.
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This year more than ever is the year to shut up shop, let your staff see their loved ones and re-charge ready for the New Year.
No need to be open, serious buyers will wait a few days and if are human they will appreciate companies lettings their staff have some downtime considering the year it has been.
Zoopla, I assume with your message however, you will be open 9 – 5 all the way through? (you know tech support if needed?
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Delighted they are splashing the cash however we will be closing for 12 days for a very well-earned rest. Every year, this is a much-needed break- this year that is more true than ever. My partner and I have had about 10 days off all year between us and our staff (especially those that weren’t furloughed) not much more- we’re proud of what we have achieved this year but ‘my god’ are we all ready for a break! People will benefit far greater from rested, refreshed and raring to go staff in the NY then squeezing in a viewing during the holiday season.
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