Some industries operate in the same way for generations, then a new player comes along and changes the paradigm. Estate agency was one such industry and Purplebricks is its disruptor brand. 

We provided a Brand Idea that allowed category transformation: An Estate Agent You Can Love. Ultimately, we believed, the brand could transform a reluctant relationship into one of ‘valued partner’; and the services offered could extend that of traditional estate agency. This thought has been a ‘north star’ for the brand, guiding everything from tone of voice to the development of new product initiatives. But it was our communications strategy that truly helped Purplebricks to disrupt the category…

Our campaign focuses on our single biggest differentiator versus High Street agents – our sellers pay no commission. Though an online category generic, we believed poor awareness of the other players provided an opportunity to decisively own this benefit. The key would be framing it to suggest meaningful value, not just low price.

Behavioural economics has long established that people are more motivated to avoid a loss than they are to secure an equally-sized gain. We believed that house sellers could be drawn to a new and unconventional choice like Purplebricks if they understood that it would help them avoid the painful, unnecessary loss of a large amount of money. We would paint traditional agents, for so long seen as the safe choice, as the foolish option. Purplebricks, the seemingly risky alternative, is in fact the sensible choice saving every vendor thousands of pounds.

Our campaign introduced the simple, fictitious sentiment of ‘commisery’ - the misery you feel when you’ve spent thousands on commission but got nothing more for your money. The campaign has turbo-charged Purplebricks’ fortunes: smashing targets for awareness and consideration, doubling market share, driving share price growth in a stagnating sector, and propelling Purplebricks to its first ever profit.