Ok, I have had a few emails from people highlighting a few things about a promotion REA are doing on a listing someone had allegedly placed on REA’s website.
The article on CEO’s Simon Bakers website goes a little like this.
“Viral marketing is so powerful and nothing shows this more than an ad that is currently on the share accommodation section of the REA site in which Borat stars.
Some entrepreneurial person has decided to have a bit of a laugh and has put up a ficticious ad for someone to share with Borat. Now what is amazing is that this ad has been viewed over 100,000 times. Check out the ad at http://www.realestate.com.au/9031441
And for anyone thinking that something is fishy – it isnt! The author of this ad has nothing to do with realestate.com.au. It is amazing the power of the Internet.”
Now, I am not saying that this is a fictitious ad, quite the contrary (although the hit counter thing would be as easy as pie to muck around with)
Ebay have long been doing these types of things to promote themselves for free through a hungry and gullible press – you know the type of things I am referring to: pretending people are selling kidney’s, hearts, children and letting the press know about it and then quickly pulling the ads.
Now this ad, is at best mildly amusing, but not something I would laugh out loud at. Now I do not want to be a killjoy, but, there are rules and standards that everyone must apply to when listing a property, maybe if it is funny, these rules don’t apply? Maybe the 200,000 + alleged views to this property (when the average for paid agents listing is about 100 per week) are not included in official results.
A couple of points I would like to make and others have made, does this listing contravene their listing rules? Are the massive numbers included in their results? And will this be the start of this type of promotion on this site on a regular basis?
Now I was not going to write about this and to be honest I feel like a bit of an idiot doing so, but I have had many people emailing me and a couple of phone calls about this very ad.
Some people just do not find it amusing!
5 Comments
Michael
How about uploading an ad on REA with REA for sale….. now that would be amusing…and Dave….That’s a PR dream……
Bit like walking into a bank and borrowing money to buy it…then not having to repay because you own the place…….
mmmmmm
Tom S
I got wind of this last Monday from a work colleague (at a stock broking firm). I also subsequently received it from 2 other external sources, one from the UK.
I agree with you Peter, it’s not as funny as Borat himself. But this has generated a lot of traffic to REA, and terrific publicity and interest, both locally and abroad.
Oh, and BTW, REA don’t have to place an ad that REA is for sale – that already exists and it’s called the Australia Stock Exchange!
PS. Peter, what has happened with your fonts? Are there more pensioners reading this site or what?!?
Simon Baker
(I am the MD of the REA Group – owner of realestate.com.au)
Peter
I would just like to formally confirm that this is not an internally created advertisement.
We know who created this ad. It is a couple of guys who like a laugh. They created a similar one last year on David Hasselhoff.
Evidently we are a form of artistic outlet in the web 2.0 world.
Dave Platter
(I work at realestate.com.au Ltd.)
Peter and Sam, while I work here, I have to agree with you. For me the Borat ad only rates a 7 out of 10. But, I have to say it did make me smile, though not outright laugh.
To the creators: nice try guys, but I know you can do better!
dave
Peter
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