Giant Dog, Marketing Gimmick
Yesterday, we blogged about a Redfin screenshot that appeared on PhotoshopDisasters, showing a gigantic dog peering through the sliding glass doors of a Shoreline listing. The screenshot was at the top of Reddit all night, and even though PhotoshopDisasters didn’t link to our site, the listing drew 52,036 views on Redfin. The average number of views for other listings in Washington State was 2.19.
The photographer, Dan Achatz, explains on Flickr that the real estate agent who commissioned the shot had asked him to exclude a dog that appeared in the background of the original photo. “So of course,” he writes, “when she said that she didn’t want to see that damn dog in the shot, I had to not only put it in, but it was also absolutely imperative to embellish it.”
Hats off to the agent for going with it and posting the embellished pic. Hopefully the house sells straight-away. In real estate more than any other industry, everyone tries to act all grown up and boring, but nothing is more essential in marketing, or in life generally, than to make someone smile.
Sasha said:
And today it’s on the front page of fark. Hooray for viral marketing.
Small nitpick: PhotoshopDisasters did link to us at the end of their post (with text “Original is here”), although it was very easy to miss the link.
July 30, 2008 9:07 AM
Janelle said:
Has anyone seen my dog? He is a golden retriever named “Skippy”. If found, please call 877 973-3346. Thank you.
July 30, 2008 9:58 AM
Maria said:
I think giant stuff in the yard is new real estate marketing tactic of the year, such as this giant piece of art in the front yard.
http://www.redfin.com/WA/Bellevue/17172-NE-5th-St-98008/home/500700
July 30, 2008 10:07 AM
Frank Borges LL0SA= Broker FranklyRealty.com said:
Did you ever see the listing photo of the 2 dogs in the background? You don’t notice it at first but if you look through the living room window into the backyard, they are mounting each other.
I open up my photoclass with it, and nobody notices. Just a little internal humor I guess.
Frank
July 30, 2008 10:36 AM
Landflip said:
I think more of us need to have this kind of sense of humor. Yes…kudos to the one who decided to use this picture! Whatever works and gets the attention of the public.
July 30, 2008 12:14 PM
Cayden Career said:
Most people see a big dog and think that they need a large living space. Cayden Career
July 30, 2008 4:25 PM
Cynthia said:
Maria – That;s a good one! Did you notice that painting is the view you see from inside the house? A little odd, but pretty creative.
July 31, 2008 11:22 AM