I’ve often wondered how some of the big Real Estate 2.0 players will handle themselves when faced with the prospect of having to explain their brand to consumers. Moving their sites beyond Beta status and beyond the realm of the early adopters is going to mean a massive consumer education program. I suspect some sites are going to face a daunting challenge in the face of some stiff competition from some well entrenched brands.
Zillow signaled today it’s making its first tentative baby steps out of beta with the news that it has retained LA advertising agency Deutsch Inc. to “provide brand positioning and strategic counsel as Zillow moves past its beta testing phase”. Deutsch has successfully steered consumer campaigns for Ikea, Old Navy and T.G.I. Friday’s among others, so it should have the necessary muscle to push Zillow’s Zestimates even deeper into the mainstream.
