Real Estate One Plans book

Brought to you by Group 1Joanna Badamo, Becky Johns, Kyle Sahadi, Megan Wilt

Table of ContentsTable of Contents

Situation Analysis............................2Campaign Objectives.......................7Creative Concept...........................11Message Distribution....................27Budget............................................35Campaign Evaluation....................36Appendix........................................38

IntroductionIntroduction

Real Estate One; the largest broker in Michigan and one of the largest in the country, has the experience to ease the complex buying or selling process of a

home. Real Estate One has prospered in Michigan since 1929 through every kind of market.

Throughout the years, Real Estate One and the company’s affiliates Insurance One, Capital Title and John Adams Mortgage have made Michigan more than a market. It is their home.

Insurance One began business in 1972 as a full service, independent agency specializing in personal insurance products.

John Adams Mortgage Company has been in business for more than three decades, consistently adapting to the ever-changing market and providing personal attention that allows the company to find the best loan for its customers.

Capital Title Insurance Agency is the outgrowth of Detroit Title Agency, which was founded in 1975, making it one of the oldest and most respected title companies in Michigan. It has grown from a small independent agency to one of the largest agencies in the state.

1

Situation AnalysisSituation Analysis

Situation Analysis includes analyzing the task of integrating Real Estate One’s financial services into one solid brand.

The brand that is created is significant to Real Estate One and it must represent the combined companies of John Adams Mortgage Company, Capital Title and Insurance One, as well as each of the respective industries.

The focus of a campaign will be to establish brand awareness internally with Real Estate One agents and other employees.

John Adams Mortgage

Capital Title

Insurance One

ONE BRAND

2

BrandingBranding

Branding efforts for this campaign must appeal the consumers’ emotional values. Emotional values are important for brand differentiation, particularly in thefinancial service industry, because consumer decisions are high risk. The brand must promote intangible benefits such as the sense of security gained from having insurance.

Establishing a niche will allow for more successful branding efforts. A niche creates convenience for consumers because they gravitate toward the brands that meets their specific needs.

Creating a niche also creates a foundation for a solid brand image that can consistently convey the company’s strengths and imbed them in the public’s mind.

Real Estate One strives to combine JAMCO, Capital Title and Insurance One into one brand in order to capitalize on an all-inclusive niche.

3

CompetitionCompetition

These main competitors are surrounded by small/local businesses that are rooted throughout Michigan. These businesses comprise the majority of competition including Real Estate One’s primary focus, Oakland County.

Competition is still heightening in Michigan despite the poor economic conditions. One historical example: in 2005 real estate listings in southeast Michigan increased 35% despite a sales decrease of 23%.

Mortgage:Banks, Mortgage

Brokers, Credit Unions

Insurance:State Farm, Allstate, AAA,

Customer’s current provider

Title:Local Businesses

4

Consumer AnalysisConsumer Analysis

The primary consumers for the new brand are Real Estate Agents in Michigan.

Most agents in Michigan are independent agents that are responsible for sales in a certain geographic territory. They report to a home office and often work as a team with other agents. ActiveRain, an online real estate network, lists the profiles of over 2,600 agents from counties across the state. Several online communities exist including Number1Expert, HomeGain.com, and HouseHunt.com (which specializes in waterfront properties).

REALTORS are also consumers to consider.

5

Target AudienceTarget Audience

The primary target audience of the new brand campaign is Real Estate One agents and internal employees. For the new brand to be successful, agents and employees must be fully aware of the brand opportunities, promises and offerings in order to then relay the information to potential consumers.

Eventually the campaign will branch out to consumers in need of the financial services.

Agents tend to be fast-paced, efficient workers, often paid on commission. Real Estate One has over 2,000 agents as well as many more internal employees and members of the affiliate companies.

The campaign goal is to remain as efficient as possible to meet the demands of agents and consumers.

6

Marketing ObjectiveMarketing Objective

In order to have a successful campaign, specific marketing and communications objectives must be established.

The campaign’s marketing objective is to obtain a 20% increase of referrals by Real Estate One agents to the new brand services in the first year.

Current referral rates:

John Adams Mortgage 21.6% Capital Title 39% Insurance One 10.2%

We expect the new brand’s mortgage affiliate to experience the most gain because customers may be most willing to seek out mortgage information on their own. Consumers already using trusted insurance companies for other possessions may be resistant to change. Title Insurance is confusing to most consumers and they will be less likely to seek out this information independent from an agent’s advice.

7

Communication ObjectivesCommunication Objectives

The first communication objective is to have 80% awareness of the new brand among Real Estate One agents within first year.

To do this, the entire year of 2009 will be spent introducing the “switch-over” of the individual affiliate financial services to the new, merged brand. Promotional and informative materials will contain the original company name in association with the new brand.

By 2010, only the new brand name will be used.

The transitional period is meant to ensure that current brand equity of affiliate financial services is kept intact, while informing agents and consumers of the new brand it is a part of.

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Another communication objective is to have 100% of Real Estate One office managers attend quarterly update meetings to learn about the new brand.

These meetings will be held by sales team members of the new brand and will inform the office managers of the new brand.

Highlights of the meetings will include the merging of the three services into one brand, the brand promise of a one-stop-shop, and information on services for both agents and consumers.

By having office managers attend these quarterly meetings, they can then take back relevant information to their respective offices and effectively relay information to agents.

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Thirdly, our campaign aims to have at least 70% of agents distribute new brand information to their clients.

Through promotional materials, informational packages and other provided resources regarding the new brand, consumers can learn of the new financial service offerings and consider the new brand options when purchasing and insuring their new home.

Finally, our fourth communication objective is to have at least 50% of agents participate in our webinar online learning session over the course of the first year.

With agents looking for fast, efficient ways of receiving information, webinars provide crucial information and resources in a convenient manner. Agents can learn about the three financial services and the new brand promise via their computer in any place or time that works for them.

By having agents partake in this webinar series, they will better familiarize themselves with the financial services offered and learn about what the new merged brand has to offer.

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The New BrandThe New Brand

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Brand PromiseBrand Promise

The creative task is to uniquely and innovatively portray the necessity of a one-stop-shop as a transaction facilitator for both agents and consumers. The

three creative portions include a concept, strategies and tactics.

The concept incorporates a brand promise to serve as a one-stop-shop that provides convenience to agents. Having three companies under one brand eliminates the confusion and complexity of multiple businesses. It also simplifies the role of the agent in coordinating financial services for their clients.

The three services of mortgage, title, and insurance will all be under one brand and common image entitled Unifinancial. Agents strive for time-efficient work solutions and with Unifinancial, they will feel the unity and efficiency of the services combined.

Complete Financial Services. Working as One.

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Color Scheme:Three shades of blue merged into one Connection to Real Estate One with shade of blue

Slogan:Reinforces the one-stop-shop and eludes to the connection with Real Estate One

Keys:The three keys morphing into one represents three services merging into one solid brand

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Creative StrategyCreative Strategy

The umbrella brand will be introduced in the beginning of 2009 as “the new name of John Adams Mortgage, Capital Title and Insurance One,” with a focuson establishing the brand identity to the point where it will not need to be associated with the names of the affiliate companies.

Current brand equity for the affiliates must stay intact, so the promotions are meant to ease the transition by driving traffic to the new web site where users discover the inter connectedness of Real Estate One, the new brand and affiliates.

Each service will ultimately be introduced at the culmination of one year as subsets of Unifinancial and will be individually named Unifinancial Mortgage, Unifinancial Title and Unifinancial Insurance respectively.

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The color sequence of the new brand integrates three shades of blue. Each shade represents the new image of each financial service and intertwines them to display a sense of cohesiveness. Blue is the prominent color to emphasize the connection between Unfinancial and Real Estate One, yet the blues are represented in different ways from REO in order to generate a unique identity for the new brand.

The logo utilizes the three different blues on the head of each key where they combine to create one pronounced blue shade. The body of the key is represented in a similar way. Each body represents one of three financial services that are merging into one predominant service. This concept reemphasizes our brand promise of one-stop-shop because the keys are morphing into a solitary image that exudes the convenience of three services in one.

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The slogan alludes to our brand promise. It says, “Complete financial services. Working as one.” This not only highlights the fact that all necessary financial services are provided in one company, but it also makes the connection between Unifinancial and Real Estate One.

The components of the new brand are designed to promote it in such a way that makes it appealing to both agents and consumers. The characteristics of convenience and cohesiveness are equally important to agents and customers.

If the agent exposes the customer to a brand that capitalizes on these qualities of importance, shows the agent truly cares about what the consumer wants and may gain positive consumer feedback as well as referrals or repeat business. By making the brand encompass a versatile appeal to both agents and consumers, only minor adjustments would need to be made in order to target one group specifically instead of having to reposition the entire brand to cater to different targets.

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Full-House ProgramFull-House Program

This program is targeted at consumers because incentives cannot be given directly to agents due to RESPA regulations. This approach will increase clientele for agents.

With promotions and incentives given to clients, they will be more inclined to try the new brand and benefit with both the service and reward.

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Full-House ProgramFull-House Program

Rewards are given at different levels depending on customer commitment. This involves restructuring the current Full House program so that rewards will be allocated in a two-tier system with escalating rewards.

A gold key customer commits to two services and receives a $50 gift card to Lowe’s. A platinum key member receives the previous gift card amount along with an additional $250 to be used at Lowe’s.

By offering escalating rewards based on commitment to two or three services, people may be more enticed to adhere to multiple services in the introductory phases of the new brand (which many consider to be the riskiest time frame).

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Poster DisplaysPoster Displays

Point-of-purchase poster displays will be strategically placed in Real Estate One offices. These will be fully equipped with brochures that highlight the new brand and explain the relevant benefits and pertinent information regarding it.

Real Estate One is pleased to introduce you to Unifinancial. We’ve combined the services we’ve

offered our customers for years into one company.

As an agent, you have the opportunity to provide the guidance and expertise your clients want and need. By using the tools available to you through

Unifinancial, you are now able to give each customer a convenient, complete, one-stop-shop

experience with Real Estate One.

Complete Financial ServicesWorking As One.

For more than three decades, John Adams Mortgage has served Southeastern Michigan, finding the right loan for each homebuyer.

John Adams Mortgage is now UnifinancialMortgage

With experience specializing in government and FHA loans, foreclosures, and refinancing, our mortgage services put customers in good hands.

Capital Title has commited to providing accurate, timely, and custom services to each client it serves. We understand that many homebuyers are unsure of why Title Insurance is needed and we’re here to answer questions and provide support—and most

of all—quality Title Insurance.

Capital Title is now UnifinancialTitle Insurance

Insurance One offers a variety of policy choices to fit the needs of each customer. Auto, home, life, and umbrella policies are available. We’re ready to help your clients find the coverage that fits their needs.

Insurance One is now UnifinancialHomeowners Insurance

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Complete Financial Services. Working as One.

At Real Estate One, we strive to provide the best financial services to our customers. We know that buying a home is one of the most

important moments in your life, and we want to make sure you’re taken care of.

John Adams Mortgage, Capital Title and Insurance One make up our financial family and are now together as one. Our experience

and expertise will make your transaction seamless, easy, and complete.

We’d like to welcome you to Unifinancial. Complete Financial Services. Working as One.

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WebsiteWebsite

A website will be developed that shows the services of John Adams Mortgage, Capital Title and Insurance One all under one image. Brokers, agents and third parties are able to access a wealth of information about listings, mortgages, loans and neighborhoods.

Last year, 65% of buyers used the internet when searching for a home and nearly 70% of all internet-using homebuyers visited a home with a real estate agent as a result of using a website.

Because these resources are available 24 hours a day, buyers are able to do searches on their own. This saves enormous amounts of time. This helps maintain a solid web of information between brokers, agents and consumers via the Internet.

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BlogsBlogs

Implementing a company blog and Twitter account helps facilitate communication and aid in the process of sharing first-hand experiences. Twitter is a micro-blogging site that can create a social network.

A blog filter will be developed that can monitor the information on both sites. If people consistently voice complaints, the blog filter will transfer those complaints to the parties immediately involved and require an immediate response. This will improve the brand image because people will feel like they are actually being heard and recognized.

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NewslettersNewsletters

Monthly newsletters in both electronic and hard copy versions are another way to keep agents informed and updated. These are meant to serve as a consistent form of receiving information, and can be a trusted source for industry trends, news and financial service information.

November 2008

In January 2009, Real Estate One plans to launch a newly branded name for its family of financial services providers. John Adams Mortgage, Captial Title, and Insurance One will become Unifinancial. In hopes of creating more of a one-stop shop experi-ence for both REO agents and clients, the company has remarketed its services as a single entity. The new slogan: Complete Financial Services Working As One.

Dannette Sarah, spokes-person for Unifinancial says she is looking forward to seeing the changes the new name makes for customers. “I’d love to see agents referring more customers to our financial partners and brokers. It’s the best way to create seamless, low-stress

transactions and continue the business standards ex-pected of Real Estate One.” Information about Unifi-nancial is available at all 75 branch offices and online at www.realestateone.com or www.unifinancialmi.com. More details to come on next month’s company blog.

Introducing...

photo by obamarama.org

90-day moratorium on foreclosures; judges get power to write down mortgage debt

What Obama’s win means for the housing crisis Obama comes to office in the midst of the worst hous-ing crisis since the Depression. Home prices are falling and foreclosures increasing. Growing numbers of people are making late pay-ments on home loans, and adjustable-rate mortgages are reset-ting, causing surging payments for hom-eowners. The Bush admin-istration has been working on a plan to help up to 3 million homeowners. Obama wants finan-

cial firms receiving help under the $700 billion rescue plan to institute a 90-day moratorium on fore-closures. The rescue fund gives the administra-tion power to buy troubled mortgages from banks and then “restructure them, allow a moratorium or do whatever they want,” says Joel Naroff at Naroff Economic Advisors. Obama has also supported giving bankruptcy judges power to write down mortgage debt, which

the Bush administra-tion opposes. “It’s a good thing and appropriate if limited to loans that have already been made,” Zandi says. Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors, would prefer to see the $700 billion rescue fund used to buy loans and modify them. Permit-ting judges to modify loans could lead to higher mortgage rates for a new set of home buyers, he says.Anna Bahney & Stephanie ArmourUSA TODAY

Real Estate One Monthly

November 2008Real Estate One Monthly

Real Estate One Charitable Foundation celebrates 20 years of giving back to Southeastern Michigan

After two decades of providing Real Es-tate One employees the opportunity to give back to the Southeastern Michigan com-munity, The Real Estate One Charitable Foundation marks its anniversary by part-nering with the American Cancer Society and Special Olympics Michigan for 2008.

These two organizations were selected by a volunteer committee of our employees because of the diversity of activities, the efficient use of funds, and their community contribution to all segments of our society.

The Real Estate One Charitable Founda-tion was established in 1998 in honor of the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Real Estate One Family of Companies.

The contributions of time, talent and

treasure of the generous individuals in our organization have provided an enviable recognition for Real Estate One’s family of companies in the southeast Michigan area. We are known as a company that “lives and works” in the community.

Our largest fund raiser is the Annual Fall Pledge Drive. Both the 2007 and 2008 Pledge Drives averaged over $60,000.00 to our charities. In addition, a myriad of fund-raisers by area offices add an aver-age of $40,000 in donations to our Pledge Drives to be distributed to our charity part-ners. The REO Corporation also matches a percentage of donations by our employees.

We look forward to another year of sup-porting our community through charity.

Visit us online to donate and view

our upcoming events calendar.

Congratulations to Jeff Powers, our

SmartCar Charity Raffle winner!

Be the 1st to Know1st To Know is a free service

that searches prop-erties in all of our MLSs and provides you with e-mail up-dates based on your criteria.

You can use a lot more criteria than our standard searches to see just the properties that fit your needs. All you do is register for the

service and we’ll do the rest. As a subscriber, you will receive e-mail updates with the most recent listing matches sent to you and with one click you can view the property in more detail online with photographs, mapping, printable brochures, virtual tours, and more.Reigster online through real-

estateone.com. Click on the “Be The First to Know” icon.

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WebinarsWebinars

Education seminars will be held in the form of webinars. There will be a series of four in order to educate agents on all aspects of the industry. Each session will be focused on a specific financial service: Mortgage, Title and In-surance. The fourth session is the idea of a one-stop-shop.

Agents are not required to work with Real Estate One, but by in-vesting in education, they will be more likely to give more back to the company.

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Quarterly MeetingsQuarterly Meetings

Quarterly luncheon meetings will be orchestrated to conveniently facilitate interactions between Real Estate One office managers and a Unifinancial sales team. The purpose is to encourage communication between offices and ensure each manager is accurately informed about what Unifinancial can offer.

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Personal TouchPersonal Touch

Unifinancial doesn’t want to lose its personal touch. This involves making monthly phone calls simply to keep in touch with agents and to let them know the company is concerned with their personal success. This raises the agents’ morale and motivates them to do well because they feel like an asset to the company.

All the tactics listed above are consistent with the creative concept because they provide a level of convenience for agents in communication, relationship building, and information acquisition.

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Message DistributionMessage Distribution

After a creative strategy has been decided, it is important to focus on effective distribution of the message. This campaign aims to achieve maximum

relevant reach and frequency among the target marketing of Real Estate One agents.

During the first year, the new brand logo and website URL will be added to Real Estate One poster displays in the offices, all company affiliated web sites, and any marketing materials that are distributed internally.

“Same great services. New name. Unifinancial.”www.unifinancialmi.com

This simple message will be exposed to agents frequently and across multiple types of media during the year. This strategic placement will generate interest in—and traffic to—the website, while enhancing the correlation between Real Estate One and Unifinancial. Reach will be at least 80. Frequency for this message will be at least eight per month.

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Online PresenceOnline Presence

Having an online presence is important for the successful launch of the new brand. This campaign establishes an interchangeable relationship between the current Real Estate One and affiliate web sites and Unifinancial’s new website.

For the first year, at the top of the Unifinancial site, there will be a prominent tag line to identify the connection between it and the affiliate companies. In order to ease into the new brand identity and maintain the brand equity of the current affili-ate names, there will be two 6-month phases to this message.

During the first six months, each brand name will be introduced with the new brand name. For example,

“John Adams Mortgage is now Unifinancial.” The same format will be used including Capital Title and Insurance One.

During the second six months, Unifinancial will be more prominent, but will be displayed as the home of each affiliate. For example,

“Unifinancial, Home of John Adams Mortgage.”

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Informational KitsInformational Kits

In order to reinforce these online messages, Real Estate One should also develop a hard-copy informational kit to aid in the re-brand. This is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to distribute information to all agents and their clients about the transition to Unifinancial.

Included in these kits could be newsletters, brochures, press releases, corporate identity items, or anything else management might want distributed. It is easy to in-clude promotional items with the Unifinancial logo along with these informational packets.

Each Real Estate One agent will receive promotional items that are useful both in and out of the office. These will serve as simple, yet constant reminders of the Uni-financial brand and will help increase frequency of exposure to the new logo. Even a small tool that proves useful in a work situation can have a lasting impact with the agent.

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Promotional ItemsPromotional Items

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WebinarsWebinars

Unifinancial will be the title sponsor for a series of webinars. The purpose of these webinars is to educate agents on different aspects of the industry and provide helpful tools for them to use in their client interactions.

All employees of Real Estate One are encouraged to participate in at least one webinar, though they are structured to be most helpful as a series. The series is aimed to have the four sessions with one theme each: mortgage, title, insurance, and ending with the one-stop-shop of Unifinancial idea. This gives the brand credibility and establishes the experience of it.

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External MessagingExternal Messaging

Internal message distribution to agents is the main goal of the campaign. But, it is also important to create brand awareness outside Real Estate One. Outside media vehicles will be utilized in addition to the internal strategy plan.

The same poster displays that are put in the offices will be taken to the 2009 Michi-gan Association of Realtors Annual Convention in Detroit. This will distribute in-formation to agents and company managers outside Real Estate One and may help bring in external business. Any other relevant regional events would be appropriate places to bring these same poster displays and brochures

Prior to the convention, press releases should be distributed to Michigan Realtor Magazine as well as any publications that will be handed out at the convention.

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Online AdvertisingOnline Advertising

Web Advertising is another major portion of the distribution strategy. A Realtor.com banner ad will be purchased for an entire year and will gain impres-sions among agents, REALTORS, and consumers searching for real estate informa-tion.

Public Relations efforts should be utilized internally in addition to all the external exposure of the Unifinancial name. These tactics will be the focal point internally. The online presence is important since agents need to have information easily available and need the option to interact with Unifinancial online directly.

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Online Press RoomOnline Press Room

Utilizing an online press room creates a great resource for agents and affiliate staffs to use when looking for information about Unifinancial. Just as the brand promises a convenient, one-stop-shop, so will the online press room.

Here, press releases, newsletters, articles about the industry, a company blog, and any other PR materials can be uploaded and updated easily.

Because this could be time-consuming, Real Estate One could consider bring a PR intern onto its team to do the leg-work for these materials. This intern could be paid or unpaid, and would surely serve useful in generating written materials and keeping the website updated.

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BudgetBudget

Type CostWebinars $7,800

Point-of-Purchase Poster Displays

$2,625

Brochures $700

Informational Kits $900

Promotional Items $1,340

Online Advertising $6,000

Restructuring Full-House Program

$5,635

Total $25,000

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Campaign EvaluationCampaign Evaluation

Objective Measure of Evaluation

70% of Real Estate One agents distribute new brand information to clients

50% of Real Estate One agents participate in at least one webinar over the course of the first year

Survey clients after each transaction to see if they re-ceived information

Monitor the data provided by the Webinar regarding which agents are participating in each session

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Campaign EvaluationsCampaign Evaluations

Objective Measure of Evaluation

20% increase of referrals by Real Estate One agents to new brand

80% awareness of new brand name among Real Estate One agents

100% of Real Estate One office managers learn about new brand at quarterly update meetings

Compare referrals from beginning of the year to the end of the year

Survey all agents at the end of the year to see if they are aware of the new brand

Take attendance at quarterly update meetings

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ScheduleSchedule

TIMING SCHEDULE FOR PROMOTIONS in 2009Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Campaign Start

Phase 1 Brand Introduction

Phase 2 Brand Introduction

New Website Launch

Online Press Room Launch

Poster Displays in Offices

Brochures Distributed in Offices

Managers Informational Meetings

Newsletter

Webinars

Web Advertising on Realtor.com

Blog Posts Poster and Brochure Displays at MAR Convention

Informational Packet Distribution

Promotional Swag Item Distribution

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AppendixAppendix

Ann Arbor Business Review. “Jeffrey Stabnau-Sales Manager of Real Estate One, Ann Arbor.” [Online] 30 August 2007. <http://blog.mlive.com/ann_arbor_business_review/2007/08/jeffrey_stabnau_sales_manager.html>.

Article Alley. “The Importance of Internet for Real Estate Professionals.” [Online] 13 September 2005. <http://www.articlealley.com/article_8800_33.html>.

Capital Title Insurance. <www.capitaltitle.net>.

Ezine Articles. “The Five Most Effective Real Estate Marketing Tools.” [Online] 16 July 2008. <http://ezinearticles.com/?The-5-Most-Effective-Real-Estate-Marketing-Tools&id=1331875>.

Fuller, Peter C. “Message to Market Program Details.” [Online] September 2008. <http://www.petercfuller.com/m2m_programdetails.html>.

Insurance One. <www.insone>.

John Adams Mortgage. <www.johnadamsmortgage.com>.

“Managing the Advertising Campaign.” [Online] September 2008. <http://www.knowthis.com/tutorials/principles-of-marketing/managing-the-advertising-cam-paign/20.htm>.

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AppendixAppendix

National Association of Realtors. “When is a Real Estate Agent a Realtor?” [Online] 13 March 2008.<http://www.realtor.org/realtororg.nsf/pages/whoisarealtor>.

Real Estate One. <www.realestateone.com>.

Sarah, Danette.< [email protected]>. October 2008

Unifinancial Logo designed by Jacob Cooper

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Documents

Real Estate One Plans book