Looking for your American Beauty? A Kentucky Realtor posed in two ads recreating classic movies from the 1990s.
Michaelle Warner, who has been working as an agent since 1989, decided to bring her love of costumes and dress-up to a series of new real estate ads. First appearing in Louisville Magazine, Warner recreated a scene from the 1999 Keven Spacey film “American Beauty,” in which actress Mena Suvari lies in rose petals. In her version, however, Warner lies in fall leaves and advertises her work at Walton Jones Realtors with a tagline from the film, “Looking for your American Beauty?”
“[With my] last child heading to college, I wanted to do something to give my business a kick,” Warner told Inman. “[My friend and magazine editor Suki Anderson] came up with the movie poster idea and I loved it as I am a film lover and used to make short films for fun.”
After receiving positive feedback for the ad, Warner recreated one with a different film — the 1996 Fargo spoof has her standing in front of a sold sign in a classic police bomber jacket and an ear-flapped hat she found on eBay. A friend and local magazine art director Photoshopped Warner’s picture onto a landscape of snowy hills just like in the movie.
“You’re darned tootin’ I can sell your house!” the second ad reads.
Courtesy of Walton Jones Realtors
Warner, who specializes in selling historic homes, said that such a unique marketing strategy was a way to stand out from the usual real estate ads we see online and on the street. Warner hopes to put out two other movie-style ads by this fall. She is currently in the process of brainstorming new ideas, she said.
“Some people don’t get [the ads] but I figure those who do are my geographic,” Warner said.
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