The National Association of Realtors teamed up with ABC Television Networks and 20th Century Fox's “Modern Family,” according to an article by Nathalie Tadena for The Wall Street Journal.
NAR will be using Phil Dunphy, played by Ty Burrell, and his role as a Realtor in a new ad campaign, according to the article.
Coverage in the Charlotte Observer said that Dunphy's insistence that he is a member of the trade association, and therefore worthy of the Realtor distinction, on the show this week is, in fact, an ad placement. That's right, NAR has that added to the Modern Family script.
Dunphy mentions the "R" word twice and at the end of the show, straightens the "R" insignia on his jacket.
NAR hopes to utilize Burrell’s love for real estate to show Millennials and first time homebuyers the value of having a Realtor.
From the WSJ article:
The integration evolved into a much larger marketing effort for NAR revolving around Phil Dunphy, which also launched Wednesday. The campaign, dubbed “Phil’s-osophies,” includes TV commercials, online video and other digital content in which Phil Dunphy shares nuggets of advice about real estate and being a Realtor, such as how to craft a perfect offer and the art of negotiation. The campaign draws inspiration from an earlier episode of “Modern Family,” in which Phil created a book of life lessons he calls “Phil’s-osophies” to his daughter when she leaves for college.
Leveraging the “Phil’s-osophies” framework helped keep the content “very authentic to the character in the show,” said Sean McBride, executive creative director of NAR’s creative agency Arnold Worldwide.
Campaign adds began Wednesday between primetime shows on ABC, and will play on other channels such as HGTV later in the month, according to the article.
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