The latest ad campaign from Century 21 may end with their brand, but there's not a single mention of the real estate franchise throughout the unorthodox Thanksgiving ad.
Indeed, AdWeek is calling the ad "easily the strangest thing Century 21 has ever done," while also offering some of the other unusual marketing tactics being employed at the firm. However, the Tryptophan Slow Jam takes the cake when it comes to ad engagement — or should I say pumpkin pie?
The ad features flash-type animation, with bright colors and shapes. The family in the video appears to become near catatonic after consuming their Thanksgiving meal, with the father dreaming he is floating in a gravy boat on a sea of stuffing. And, of course, the Turkey sings, plays guitar and dresses like Bootsy Collins.
I emailed the CMO of Century 21, Bev Thorne, in order to learn more about the philosophy of the ad, titled "Tryptophan Slow Jam."
"Our intent is to be the catalyst for conversation," she said. The ad does push its own hashtag, aiming to capture the Twitter crowd as well.
"We are hoping the "Tryptophan Slow Jam” will become known as a great Thanksgiving rock anthem, as families are mellowing out after indulging in their holiday feasts," Thorne adds.
"For our brand, reaching home buyers and sellers at the point of consideration is critical, and real-time marketing enables us to do just that," she said. "Consumers are 22% more likely to consider a brand as a result of real-time marketing. So when we plan our marketing activations, we are thinking about real-time tactics to wow consumers, particularly focusing on how we can tie the brand into breaking news and current conversations."
It's working. In the time it took to set up and interview Thorne and write this blog, the viewers of the Trpytophan Slow Jam doubled, to more than 30,000; make that 40,000+.
Watch the ad below to see how well it goes down with you:
