Realtors Johnny Hewerdine and Tristan Squire-Smith of London, Ont., hit headlines recently after being fired from their brokerage for using what some deemed polarizing content in billboard and social media advertising. CBC notes that the termination letter they received cited professional differences.
Their billboard had been up for several months before “things went south” late last year, the two realtors explain. In their recollection, many consumers loved the content because “it was different.” But competitors didn’t necessarily share that view.
There was “pushback from the industry,” Hewerdine and Squire-Smith explain. Some took the advertising slogan to be unprofessional and belittling to other agents.
The slogan in question? ‘You could do worse.’
The pair is still using it—in fact, they’ve doubled down on it, having moved to a different brokerage without missing a beat. (They’ve asked that neither their former nor current brokerage be named “out of a desire to maintain professionalism and strong working relationships with our peers while mitigating any outside chance of litigation,” Squire-Smith explains.)
“We’re two blue-collar guys. To be successful, we need to be as authentic as possible…We inject a sense of levity. A lot of people appreciate that approach.”
– Johnny Hewerdine, real estate agent
What’s all the fuss about, you may ask. To many, it’s unclear why this slogan would be considered offensive. It certainly wasn’t intended to be, say Hewerdine and Squire-Smith, who aren’t an official team but have been friends for 20 years (they met on the varsity swim team at Western University) and often help each other out on deals. Hewerdine has been in the business for five years and Squire-Smith for about two.
It turns out that many in the industry took their slogan to mean that the pair was implying they’re better than other agents.
“They think we’re making fun of them. But we’re just doing our thing,” says Hewerdine. “We’re two blue-collar guys. To be successful, we need to be as authentic as possible…We inject a sense of levity. A lot of people appreciate that approach.”
Squire-Smith adds, “All our ads are objectively compliant. There’s nothing underhanded.”
‘Disruptive’ marketing
The two like to spin their approach as ‘disruptive marketing’—using humour and irony to try to humanize the real estate industry. They explain that they “are not in it to fit the mold” and “don’t want to appear on a billboard, like everyone else,” wearing a suit, with their arms crossed, publicizing their awards.
“In an industry that presents itself through awards, we go and do the opposite,” says Hewerdine.
To this end, their billboard (they have just one in London, but it changes regularly) and other marketing has featured such scenarios as the two of them touting their tally of zero awards won (“accurate,” they laugh), hoisting underwear up flagpoles, or looking geeky as all get-out in teenage photos of themselves with pimples, braces and even a graduation robe.
Source: Johnny Hewerdine and Tristan Squire-Smith
And let’s not forget explosions. “We love explosions!” they declare, with much roaring laughter. They’re quick to add that these effects aren’t real but rather are part of their “signature listing videos” using green screen and editing.
Barb Potempa, a current client who sold her London area home with the duo’s help, says, “They have a thing for flames and are constantly burning or blowing things up…I loved all their out-of-the-box approaches and their ‘you could do worse’ slogan.” Potempa believes those who take offence to the latter are “taking this way too seriously.”
Trying to make people laugh during the stressful process of selling or buying a home and bringing “laughter to a stuffy industry” is what Hewerdine and Squire-Smith are all about, Potempa insists.
Tristan Squire-Smith (left) and Johnny Hewerdine
Different approaches for different clients
The two realtors acknowledge that they “water it down” for cautious clients. They’re aware that their brand of humour isn’t for everyone. “Consumers either love it or hate it. If they hate it, we’ve saved everybody time, and they can find someone more conventional,” says Hewerdine.
“You can’t please everybody. We target like-minded consumers, which makes our business efficient,” he continues. “People call it a niche approach as if that’s a negative. But every business needs a niche.”
He adds, “Together, all our skills are complementary. We couldn’t do it on our own… We’re a bottomless pit of ideas.”
With a new billboard of theirs due out in a few months, there may be more surprises and raised eyebrows in store for London’s real estate industry.
“We’re breaking that glass ceiling, baby,” laughs Hewerdine.
Editor’s note: The contributed photos have been edited by the subjects to remove the name of their brokerage.
Susan Doran is a Toronto-based freelance writer who has been contributing to REM since its very first issue.
They’ve asked that neither their former nor current brokerage be named “out of a desire to maintain professionalism and strong working relationships with our peers while mitigating any outside chance of litigation,” Squire-Smith explains.
Are they five years old? It took 30 seconds to look up their current brokerage, and about 90 seconds – the former one. *facepalm*
You seem to be what they have nothing to do with… I am 80 years old and have bought and sold a lot of houses and property… their motto is a hell of a lot better than all the Realtors saying, “Trust me!”.
I love this marketing approach. So many ego-maniacs in the real estate business out there touting that they’re pretty much the best on the planet and these guys are getting their chops busted simply for stating they’re not the worst? Well done.
I am curious how that ad is RECO compliant with no mention anywhere of the Brokerage itself, unless it has been photoshopped out for the purpose of this article and not naming the Brokerage?
For sure Greg, but there is actually a note at the end of the article with regard to not showing the brokerage in their ads: Editor’s note: The contributed photos have been edited by the subjects to remove the name of their brokerage.
I think this is great! I’m all for differentiation and humour in the marketplace. It may not be for everyone, and that’s ok. Good for you, guys!
Now this is interesting. Personally, I don’t mind their marketing and do enjoy the humor, but of course nothing exists in a vacuum and we cannot simply dismiss the clearly numerous agents who find this unprofessional and belittling. This is only one component of a marketing plan, and all aspects must be looked at when trying to determine true intent.
We don’t get to choose whose opinions are valid and whose aren’t; all must be considered and appropriately weighed. I can certainly understand how some competitors would find this unprofessional. Mind you, every time we market how good we are, aren’t we also directly implying we are better than others? Is there any difference? If we can never say we are better than anyone, all competition vanishes.
And finally, there is a fine line between stated intent and actually perceived intent in the general public. Creative marketing is called creative for a reason, it often pushes boundaries.
Real estate is a unique hybrid of a profession and a sales expert. Both aspects must be considered in our business operations.
It will be interesting to see where this goes. Maybe a competitive slogan could be You Can’t Do Better?
I love the ingenuity of this self deprecating humour.
Unlike the agent in my area who for years continues to openly misled consumers with his “Move up to this House and I’ll Buy Yours” sign despite the blatant and obvious contradiction of the SOLD sign directly below it, there is nothing misleading about it.
I can see an ad that takes aim at all the abbreviated designations they don’t have considering the industry doesn’t even understand what they mean, much less the general public.
Stepping out of the box… Good for you!
Cheers..
I’m still laughing at this ad….I sell real estate in Los Angeles and this is BY FAR the most eye-catching Real Estate Agent ad I’ve seen. I would call these guys for sure if I needed an agent in their area. RE Agents take themselves WAYYYY too seriously. This ad is a hilarious breath of fresh air from all the douchy / scum-bag-ish realtor ads that are always floating in the market. All the run-of-the-mill “I’m the best”, “Trust me” and “I’m holding a mobile phone in my photo waiting for your call” kind of B.S. real estate ads are such an annoying waste of space. LOVE. IT.