As part of its research for its new “Million Reasons” campaign, real estate company Re/Max found that home buyers and sellers see the process as extremely stressful. The only thing more stressful, the survey of roughly 5,000 found, was taking care of either a newborn or elderly parent.

In light of this, the strategy behind the campaign became to ease the tension and pressure home-buyers and sellers face. “We said, ‘let’s put this all together and talk about the experience we have and how that can help alleviate the stress in a consumer’s mind,’” says Anthony Volpini, director of marketing, North America at Re/Max Integra. Assuaging the stress in the consumer’s mind, Volpini says, is what also led Re/Max to come up with the campaign’s tagline, “Don’t worry, we’ve done this a million times,” using the company’s experience to ease the anxieties of buyers and sellers who are new to the real estate market.

Volpini says the average Re/Max agent has nine years’ experience, while its nearest competitor has agents with an average of six years’ experience. He adds that Re/Max agents average the most home sales per year in the industry. He also notes the high-quality technology, listing presentation and training tools the agents have access to.

Real Estate Professional shows that 42 of the top 100 agents in 2019 were Re/Max, according to the editorial team at the publication. Recent statistics from the Canadian Real Estate Association show housing continues to be a competitive market: while national home sales fell by 2.9% on a month-over-month basis in January, overall activity was up 11.5%, leading to a tight supply of housing in many regions. CREA notes in a Feb. 14 press release how larger markets, such as Ottawa and Windsor-Essex, are “among some of the tightest supplied markets in Canada.”

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Volpini says the campaign identifies the pain points that come up when buyers and sellers don’t work with a Rex/Max agent, namely the lack of accessibility and contact with an agent, but also things agents that come with their own “fine print” about their abilities or agencies that put you through an automated operator, instead of your agent, when you have a question about your listing price. “We tried to get [the message] across, in a fun, humourous way.”

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The target for the “Million Reasons” campaign are home buyers and sellers between the ages 25 and 52. While the lack of experience can be particularly stressful for first-time home buyers, Volpini adds that the experience is oftentimes stressful for those who have done it before as well, because there’s “so much” at stake. “It’s their most expensive asset they’ll ever own. Most of their money is tied into that,” he says. “They find it stressful because they’re [thinking], ‘Am I going to get the price I want? Am I going to have to take a loss? Am I going to find the right home?’ There’s a lot of things that go into that process that could go wrong.”

A second component to this campaign, “That’s The Sign of a Re/Max agent,” features spots showing more direct agent contact for an older couple looking to travel the world, as well as “Virtual Agent” for a younger couple trying to view a house and gain the entry code from an agent they are talking with virtually.

The campaign was led by agencies Camp + King and Mixtape, with UM handling the media buy. David McFarlane, director of creative, North America at Re/Max Integra, was also “one of the minds” behind the campaign. The digital campaign launched on Monday, with the OOH rolling out next week.