Zillow's romantic pool-hopping ad promotes app in hot housing market

In the busy housing market, Zillow wants to remain top-of-mind, even as rising interest rates may normalize prices. The real estate company today debuted two new commercials as part of its “There’s No Place Like Zillow” brand campaign. One spot highlights the brand’s new “Homes to Compare” feature where homebuyers can make side-by-side comparisons. The ad dramatizes the feature by showing a couple pool-hopping in several residential backyards. The spot has romantic undertones, though it is not quite as steamy as last year's "Saturday Night Live" Zillow spoof. Another spot shows the real-life experience buyers can find when they immerse themselves in the Zillow app. Jen Berger, VP of creative services at Zillow, said the spots are inspired by actual consumer truths. “We heard customers strongly relate to the creative because it resembles what actually plays out in their heads when using the Zillow app,” she said. “They imagine their lives in the homes and all the possibilities, as they interact on Zillow." Both spots were created with Fig, which has worked with Zillow for the last two years. They will run on broadcast TV and Zillow’s social channels. Last month, Zillow reported total revenue of $3.9 billion, a 392% rise over the year-earlier period. The company is in the process of winding down its iBuying business, which bought homes for cash and resold them. While interest rates are rising, Zillow is still predicting that the housing market will remain hot. Jeff Tucker, Zillow’s senior economist, said the company’s forecast calls for home values to grow by another 17% over the next year. “Inventory is at record lows while demand is sky high, causing fierce competition for the relatively few homes available,” he said. ”Inventory seems to have begun a slow climb now that spring is here, marking the beginning of prime home shopping season, but it’s not likely to be enough to bring buyers much relief from rising prices and bidding wars.” He added: “There will be a point where affordability hurdles become too great for too many, leading to a pullback in demand and slower price growth, but we are not there yet.”

Zillow's romantic pool-hopping ad promotes app in hot housing market

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