From a reader who chooses to remain “anon”:
Just a question I’ve often wondered. Who’s idea was it to allow, or encourage Realtors to put their pictures all over everything from biz cards, to shopping carts, to buses, etc.? Why Realtors and not all the countless other professions out there?
Good question. I don’t have the answer. Not sure it was one person or a group of people that collectively sat down and said, “Hey…Realtors should use their pictures on their advertising!” I’m thinking it kind of just happened gradually as a way for Realtors to focus on face recognition, as their image is their brand.
Sorry I’m not much help on this. Regardless, thank you for writing in. Maybe our readers or stammtisch can shed some light on the matter.
Personally, I prefer to put my mug on top of the tram at Snowbird….over and over again.
–Why are Realtors so Arrogant and such Assholes? [theFrontSteps]
This is a good question. I personally think it’s pretty sleazy to plaster your face on a shopping cart.. I mean, my god, how low can you go?
Mr editor, as for your comment on “image as brand”…well…thats just pure bullshit…the entire idea of a person as a brand is purely manufactured up by some slimy advertising jock…food products have a brand. cars have a brand. toilet paper has a brand..but not people, especially a realtor.
The image projected by a realtor, or any professional in the services industry, including mine (architect) should be about honesty, integrity, quality information, and respect for the client.
[Editor’s note: Maybe I should have said image as their logo? As I said, I don’t have the answer or understand it myself, but you are correct regarding honesty, integrity, etc., and I totally agree.]
I personally don’t do it. My business partner and myself are a small outfit who poured a lot of time and effort into creating a logo and a brand. That is what we feature on our cards.
But I can see why folks do it in one sense. From one realtor to another, it’s a sort of instant recognition. Dozens of cards go into broker’s tour baskets or whatever sort of recepticle. After the tour, it’s like, who are all these people? The picture helps there. But I’m not too sure why heavy hitters would continue to do it, tho. Everybody knows who they are.
I, too, have often wondered this. I think doing so pulls down the “profession,” as advertisements have done to lawyering. Off the top of my head, I really can think of only one other profession that does this–adult escort services.
I agree with 49giants…this practice does seem to pull down the profession…
That’s why you don’t see my profession, architects, advertising all over the place, least alone a shopping cart.
So some housewife (or househusband) is pushing the cart along the safeway food aisle, and the little rug-rat sitting in the cart starts slobbering…they all do…and it goes all over the realtors picture tacked onto the cart.
I mean, how cool is that?;)
duggo,
LOL! That was great!
Maybe everyone who is putting their picture out there has been persuaded by an expert marketing professional that they are (a) exceptionally good looking, or (b) have an exceptionally honest or hard-working-looking face?
Even the guy who puts himself on there with his dalmations? (He shall remain nameless) Marketing expert: “Dude, your dogs have totally honest faces. Get them on your business card, STAT.”
cart humor,
Well, we gotta have a sense of humor too, right?:) that’s why I love my two cats…
they never slobber.
even when I take them to Safeway.
As a realestate magazine junky, I’d say that it DOES make a difference to see photos on each page (photos on carts or bus stop are pathetic attemps to say: I’m so bad I cant get enough deals by my sole “honesty, integrity, quality information, and respect for the client” [you forgot past clients praises and referal] )
however I’d say that I’ve been DISAPOINTED many times by agents who looked nothing like their photo. much smaller (you know which lady I’m talking about), much outdated (I boldly told one so, and she updated the photo before the next issue! Yeah! :-)) and such.
and of course, I does help the client to choose an agent by self elimination of all the one who annonce on their photos they are linked to the mob.
BTW, eve more pathetic the photos of dentists and cosmetic surgeons in the last pages of the sf magazine ;-)
oh… I forget the famous finacial add in the early pages of a famous magazine:
Le con, la brute et le truant (pun on “the good the bad the ugly” = the moron, the bouncer and the mob guy) . What an EXCELLENT way to get more clients!