When AdAge starts asking questions, will real estate start listening?

From Advertising Age:

Pay head to what Realtors don’t say in their latest pitch

It’s one thing for me to constantly harp on the NAR and others for their loose grasp on reality when it comes to advertising, messaging and designing campaigns based on trust and transparency. But when AdAge takes it to task, maybe it’s time our industry take the blinders off and grab a second look at what they push out into the marketplace. 

I’ve never liked the NAR’s ethics campaign. It never resonated with me, or maybe anyone for that matter. Honestly, how could it when the spokespeople for ethics are themselves under investigation by the DOJ? But beyond that, can you really sell "ethics" today? Is there a single American who believes anything is ethical because a commercial tells them so? I doubt it. Ethics has been sold down the river in a boat steered by Jeffery Skilling, Dennis Kozlowski, Bernie Ebbers and so many others.

In the words of AdAge:

The campaign, in other words, is a perfect miniature of the inherent conflict of interest Realtors wallow in, like pigs in the sty, all the time. They have no incentive to perform due diligence for buyers. They don’t even have incentive to protect their clients, the sellers. Their only interest is in closing the sale. Seven percent of $500,000 is $35,000, no matter who else takes a bath.

I’m not going to go through each paragraph of the article and point out where the writer is off base or over the top in his disdain for the industry. And there’s no good reason to anyone to get defensive about his statements. Instead, what we should all focus on is the level of bias the writer possess, which I maintain is shared by many. Far more than I think our industry wants to recognize.

Never is there a more important time than right this second to look at everything you do that is public facing. Check it for bullshit. Check it for hyperbole. Check it for self-aggrandizement. If you blog, talk about this article. Expose it. Write about it. Create a position that removes you from the general stereotype.

If you do not blog, think of ways you reach your constituency, your sphere and help them deal with their issues that right now, they might be dealing with alone. Without you.

NAR could hire the best ad agency on the planet. It won’t matter if they can’t get the message straight

I’m guessing some of you can.

– Davison