The Insider: Issue 045

Vacations are stripes. Fabrics in motion are magical. And algorithms are set to take over all your tips and how-to content creation. This is what’s in store for you today. Dig in!

 

Last Week This Week

• It’s been a while since we’ve seen some good old fashioned Zilllow bashing from a serious industry CEO, but Realogy’s Ryan Schneider brought it last week, calling Zillow a “competitor” and questioning why the industry is “writing them checks”. We think this is strategic Zillow bashing, not gratuitous flame throwing, a prelude to a free-for-all of jockeying, side-deals, and power moves when CoStar finally lights up Homes.com big-time. Buckle up.
  
  
• Redfin issued a report under the headline that “Homebuyer Competition Drops for First Time in Six Months Amid Surge in Mortgage Rates, Home Prices”, but then notes that competitive bidding situations on Redfin listings declined only two percentage points from February to March, from 67% to 65%. We think that’s overselling the slowdown a bit. That small decline may simply be an artifact of slightly more inventory in March, or nothing at all, really. What are you seeing in your markets right now?
  
  
• Opendoor accounted for 15% of all price reductions in Sacramento last week (they own several hundred homes there), according to appraiser Ryan Lundquist. We’re about to see how the iBuyer model holds up without historically rapid appreciation. Will the skeptics get schooled or vindicated?

Have You Heard About This?

Ahhhhh, the Algorithms
Got marketing copy woes? Evidently, this is a hot new area about to be taken over by algorithms. Kinda crazy when you think about all the focus on “authenticity” and “one-to-one conversations” in marketing over the last few decades. Of course, there’s always a use for tech so we’re not totally casting this off just yet. Robots probably could write “7 tips” and “How to winterize your home” articles, and maybe that’s a blessing. Perhaps this creates grist for the Google mill without burning out creative teams. Read more about AI-powered marketing copy in Wired.

What's Inside

Join us this Wednesday at 12:30 Pacific, 3:30 Eastern for a new Live Webinar in which Brian will be giving his Q2 Industry Briefing. We follow the key goings-on so you don’t have to, and give you our take on what it all might mean. 

Inspiration Point

 

I’ll Have the Stripes, Please
“Condor is vacation. And vacation is stripes.” That’s the big idea driving a new rebrand for the German leisure airline Condor. Yes, they’re painting stripes on planes. "Our new trademark are stripes, our figurative mark stands for our origin and the colors for diversity,” Condor CEO Ralf Teckentrup said of the rebrand. This is a marvelous example of a brand breaking out of its category in a strategically sound, head-turning kind of way. We’re here for it. Read more about the rebrand here.

30 Seconds of Cool
We spotted this mesmerizing little video on Toi Art Gallery’s Insta and had to share. Maybe it’s pointless, but it’s creative and fun. When you’re feeling like your marketing materials are maybe a bit too dusty or vanilla, just think about the magic made with these little pieces of felt and polyester stuffing. Sometimes reinvention is simply using the same things in new ways.

Quote of the week

“The best brands marry intelligence and insight with imagination and craft.”

— Connie Birdsall

Creative Director, Lippincott