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Sotheby’s International Realty launches ‘1 of 1’ brand ad campaign

Credit: Sotheby's International Realty

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Sotheby’s International Realty has launched a new brand ad campaign that highlights and celebrates each luxury property as a unique asset, the firm informed Inman.

Dubbed “1 of 1,” the campaign positions each luxury home sold under the Sotheby’s International Realty banner as one-of-a-kind, and the agents who represent those properties as “curators of the unique,” the firm said in a press release. The campaign also works in concert with the firm’s efforts to connect with younger, affluent buyers, particularly the emerging class of millennial luxury buyers, who value self-expression and individuality.

The announcement was made in tandem with the brand’s 2024 Global Networking Event, which takes place Sept. 8-10 in Nashville, Tennessee.

“When we look at the buyers that are coming into the luxury segment of the market, they’re increasingly from the millennial generation,” Brad Nelson, chief marketing officer for Sotheby’s International Realty, told Inman.

Bradley Nelson | Sotheby’s International Realty

“So we really wanted to start by taking a look at what does that generation of buyers, broadly speaking, value? We found that millennials … really look at their home as their ultimate self-expression. They can find themselves attracted to a property’s history, it might be a unique feature the property offers, it might be where the property is located and kind of the springboard to a particular lifestyle it offers, but everyone is looking for something that makes a property unique.”

The campaign was inspired by the brand’s relationship with the Sotheby’s auction house and its global network by framing homes in ads as if they are being viewed through windows designed across the world. Nelson said that the campaign, which was developed by creative transformation company venturethree, was also inspired by the work of other luxury brands.

“Sotheby’s International Realty is one of the more storied luxury real estate brands, and I would argue, storied brands in the real estate category,” Nelson said. “So we were really inspired by some other brands in the luxury space, particularly Burberry, that leaned into what was their heritage, but not being afraid to reinvent that identity. So the art direction feels very fresh, very current, very modern and from a visual perspective, that is quite exciting to us.”

Philip Orwell | venturethree

“1 of 1” has been transcreated into several different languages so that it can be tailored across the Sotheby’s International Realty network, which spans more than 1,100 offices in 83 countries. The campaign includes a seven-figure advertising media spend and will be featured across a number of media partners internationally through video, digital, social and print channels. It will be advertised in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Dwell, Architectural Digest, Nikkei, Google and top social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram.

“We want people to feel they are joining forces with an iconic brand, one that has a lifestyle of its own and is also closely aligned to their individual values,” Philip Orwell, CEO for venturethree, said in a statement. “We’re aiming to capture a new world of luxury for an emerging luxury audience, for whom the feel of the experience is as important as the level of service. We’ve kept the campaign authentic to the very special DNA of Sotheby’s International Realty, while also making it modern and aspirational.”

Jodie McLean | venturethree

Added Jodie McLean, venturethree’s head of partnerships in the U.S., “Taking advantage of the magnetic ability of luxury homes to engage people across different platforms, the new campaign was created to be innately social, bringing out the uniqueness of each property and positioning Sotheby’s International Realty as the global leader in luxury real estate.”

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Email Lillian Dickerson