The National Association of Realtors has selected Arnold Worldwide as its lead agency, responsible for creative, digital, brand activation and strategy, following a review, Adweek reports. The review process began back in April, with 18 agencies participating. Media buying and planning, handled by Most and Assembly, were not part of the review. According to Kantar Media, The National Association of Realtors spent just under $50 million on measured media last year.
Incumbent agency Most, an independent agency which has handled the count for almost twenty years, participated in the review, which was handled by consultancy Select Resources International. “Most participated in the pitch and made it to the final round,” NAR senior vice president of communications Stephanie Singer told Adweek. “The decision ultimately was not about the past quality of their work, only an interest in moving in a different direction.”
Targeting millenials, Singer said, will be key to that new direction, and Arnold’s success with the demographic was a deciding factor. “Arnold is tasked with helping NAR reclaim the Realtor’s role in the overall home-buying process, and to educate millennials on what a Realtor does and the value they can provide,” said Arnold global president Pam Hamlin.
Arnold’s first work for the client is expected to break in the fourth quarter, with the agency planning to “target millennials through a truly integrated cross-channel campaign, which will center primarily on television and digital activations,” according to Hamlin. Campaign development will reportedly be overseen by Arnold senior vice president, group account director Todd Sperry, chief marketing officer Lisa Unsworth and global chief creative officer Jim Elliott, who all played key roles during the review process.