Response from NAR About the Public Awareness Campaign
The following was sent to me a few minutes ago by Frank Sibley, NAR Senior Vice President, Convention and Communication. Yesterday I has questioned both the efficacy of NAR’s Public Awareness Campaign and the need to bill everyone an extra $30 to sustain the campaign.
The latter question remains in play. Why the $30 bill this year to support a 1o-year-old campaign? If dues were sufficient before, shouldn’t they be sufficient now?
For 10 years, the Public Awareness Campaign has been working on behalf of NAR’s members to educate and persuade consumers about the value of hiring a REALTOR, and we’ve seen measurable results in consumers’ attitudes and beliefs as a result. Our most recent 2007 tracking study found that the percentage of consumers that would use a REALTOR to buy or sell a home has increased significantly over the past five years, from 52 percent in 2002 to 71 percent today.
Dick’s anecdotal feedback from members about the campaign’s popularity is backed up by research, as well. NAR’s Communications Committee, Leadership Team, and Board of Directors have all approved of the effort, and according to an October 2007 survey of NAR members, the campaign is one of NAR’s most popular programs: 98 percent of REALTORS surveyed favored the advertising program, and 93 percent wanted to see more advertising like it.
The Public Awareness Campaign goes beyond advertising, however; REALTORS are encouraged to download materials to use on their Web sites and use the materials and related information with their clients or in their presentations to help bring in business and demonstrate their value to home buyers and sellers.
I encourage you to visit www.realtor.org/awarenesscampaign to learn more, and watch for new information and materials on the site when the 2008 ads launch in mid-January.
Best wishes,
Frank Sibley
Senior Vice President
Convention and Communications
Technorati Tags: NAR, real estate marketing
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Isn’t the additional 30 bucks because there aren’t as many of us as their were a year ago… and the year before that and the year before that…. declining dues?
Perfect! very NAR like
Almost certainly, Maureen. But that’s not my problem or yours or any of the rest of us survivors.
When faced with a declining revenue stream I adjusted my marketing and advertising budgets accordingly.
Rather than sticking it to those who are still hear, NAR ought to be streamlining its own budget.
Even if there’s a 10% drop, that’s still more than 1 million members - at $80 a pop, that’s not a bad budget.
“NAR’s Communications Committee, Leadership Team, and Board of Directors have all approved of the effort”
Oh, well given that, why should I have a problem with it?
“98 percent of REALTORS surveyed favored the advertising program”
Guess it’d be to much to ask what the sample size of that survey was….
“we’ve seen measurable results in consumers’ attitudes and beliefs”
Huh. Guess they must be talking to a whole ‘nuther set of consumers than I am…
Suddenly I’m feeling oh so warm and fuzzy inside.
Not.
Um, what are you doing to help your Association? What activities (productive - as in not blogging) have you really done to help out? Get involved and make it better for everyone, is all I am saying…
Or a nice “oooops we were so busy selling NAR memberships… we didn’t notice” kind of disclosure of why they are charging the remaining members rather than tightening belts…
Um Matt… I know you aren’t necessarily asking me “Um, what are you doing to help your Association?” but I’ve been on the Tech Committee at my board for a few years… and wonder about the statement “productive - as in not blogging”
blogging is not productive? Or
blogging about NAR is not nice? Or
Jonathan and bloggers should stop blogging because it is not productive personally? Is bad for their local board? Is bad for NAR? Is just plain naughty?
Ask not what NAR can do for me but ask what I can do for NAR? That would work if I didn’t pay NAR to work for me, Matt.
As for blogging being unproductive … to whom?
It’s productive for me … I’ve garnered business from this blog.
It’s productive for my clients … this blog helps them watch the market.
It’s productive for my peers … several in my office read the blog regularly and find it education.
It’s productive in taking to different industry leaders … the President of NAR was reading the other day (and, I hope, will continue to do so.) And the President of the local MLS is a regular reader as well. Why? To get a sense of the community’s mood.
I wondered if you were watching
I also chair several committees and work with both local and state committees. Here’s my thing - I took issues with some of the things that were occurring in the Association so I got involved to improve them and it worked.
I am also running a few blogs for church and for work, but it’s a great hobby or enhancement to my marketing plan but I do not expect to change an association of over a billion members by writing negative articles. I do expect to improve an organization ran by it’s members, by being involved as a member.
Here’s where you loose me in your arguments - we don’t pay NAR to “work for us” we should be making an investment in our Association to continue the efforts of protecting and improving our trade. We spend great efforts putting down the Association, of which we are members, so for everyone else in the world, it’s as if we’re putting ourselves down. For the cost of two average newspaper ads, we pay for local, state and national representation. There is a ton of stuff that is available to us that we don’t take advantage of… Do I agree with NAR’s efforts in every aspect? Not at all. I am not at all a fan of the National MLS – once we fix REALTOR.com, maybe I’ll have more faith. Do I think a lot of the Code of Ethic changes over the past few years are good – no. But, as a Grievance workgroup co-chair and COE instructor, I still support them to the public. To do otherwise makes all of us look bad. People will remember the negative things we say about ourselves and the in-fighting longer than what the point of the article was or who said it.
I just think if all of you could put your efforts and obvious creativity to work FOR the association, as opposed to against it, we’d all benefit. I don’t know about everyone else, but I raised my hand and took an oath when I became a REALTOR. That meant something to me. Was I forced to do it? No, I could practice as a Broker without being a REALTOR.
I know my argument here is useless and the only folks who feel strongly here are against me, but I thank you for the chance to be heard as well….
Whoops - “billion” was suppose to be “million” - duh…
I’m not necessarily believing I can change NAR with one post. I also don’t believe much of what I’m writing is negative, just factual.
That we haven’t had an economist capable of predictions rooted in reality for the past two years isn’t a negative statement, it’s reality. The predictions made in each monthly report is fanciful at best.
I keep thinking of a movie line …
“You’re making me look ridiculous.”
“No, you’re doing that just fine on your own.”
Or words to that effect …
We never raised our hand to take an oath here. My hand did go up in the air when I ripped the check from my checkbook but that’s as close as I got.
Your argument is far from useless, Matt. It’s important that the public sees that there are two sides to the issue.
At some point it might make sense to work within the organization. I’ll save the cop-out sounding “I don’t have time” but until my term as synagogue president expires I really don’t have time.
And you’re right, maybe “work for me” wasn’t the right phrase. Perhaps “represent me” is more accurate since NAR’s primary focus is lobbying, lest we forget.