OWN&P Chases Apartment Hunters

Springstreet’s First Ads Use Humor to Spur Visits to Its Web Site
SAN FRANCISCO-Odiorne Wilde Narraway & Partners’ humorous new campaign for Springstreet rolls out in select national markets this week following its initial launch April 12 in San Francisco.
The effort is OWN&P’s first for the apartment listing and renter’s resource, which was formerly known as Allapartments.com. The shop picked up the San Francisco company’s estimated $5-10 million account late last year, following a review that included other Bay Area shops [Adweek, Dec. 14].
The campaign uses the tagline “Log on. Move in,” and includes TV, print, radio and outdoor executions.
“The campaign uses humor because Springstreet understands that looking for an apartment is a difficult, all-consuming process that is not really fun,” said Erich Pfeifer, associate creative director at OWN&P.
A darkly humorous 30-second TV spot opens with a team of tough-looking plainclothes police officers called to investigate a report from a landlord who has heard gunshots in one of his apartments.
The cops, along with members of a S.W.A.T. team, kick open the apartment door, and gasp when they see a man, woman and parrot inside-all dead. “Oh my God,” says one of the officers. But it’s not the horrific crime scene that has them awestruck. “Look at the size of this place,” says another cop. The team spends the rest of the spot admiring the unit’s hardwood floors, walk-in closets and the fact that the complex allows pets.
The ad wraps with an image of Springstreet’s green and white logo. A voiceover delivers the tagline.
Print and outdoor efforts also take a humorous approach. One ad targeted at college students asks, “Why waste time apartment hunting when you could be getting your ass paddled?” Behind the text is the image of a wooden fraternity paddle. ƒ