Even if you haven’t used Apartments.com, chances are you’ve probably heard of (or seen) Brad Bellflower.
The fictitious “Silicon Valley Maverick,” played by the quirky and captivating Jeff Goldblum, is the secret sauce behind CoStar Group’s largest and most successful brand. Bellflower’s spectacled face has popped up almost everywhere across the advertising ecosystem for nearly a decade, from TV to TikTok to streaming (including a few massive Super Bowl spots). He’s been so ubiquitous at times that I’ve had to remind myself, no, Malcolm from Jurassic Park did not quit his acting career to run an online apartment shopping platform (Not to say that Goldblum is incapable of such a pivot).
With his stylish blazer-turtleneck ensemble, Bellflower is the spitting image of a savvy startup executive plucked straight from a San Francisco tech conference. He looks like a disruptor sitting on a billion-dollar valuation whose next big idea (the ‘Apartminternet’) is going to “change the world” — even if he is, indeed, not a real person.
What is real, though, is Apartment.com’s nearly $1 billion in 2023 revenue and its ongoing run atop Google’s SERP rankings. Search almost anything related to “apartments” in your browser, and chances are that Apartments.com will end up being the first result.
“For eight straight quarters Apartments.com has held the number one position in the industry in terms of monthly unique visitor traffic, according to Google Analytics,” said Andy Florance, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CoStar Group, in a February 2024 earnings statement.
If this was the outcome the folks at Apartments.com (and the ad agency RPA) were going for when they recruited Goldblum to headline this campaign in 2015, they succeeded — and then some. Brad Bellflower is a shining example of how creativity in traditional advertising can help brands pervade social consciousness and stand out amidst an otherwise mundane yet uber-competitive industry.
The “Bellflower effect” has helped Apartments.com go mainstream. But why stop there? This character has more of a story to tell, and given his immense popularity, I see no reason to keep Bellflower confined to a 30-second ad spot. Could more of a brand publishing approach be on the horizon?
The Brad Bellflower Cinematic Universe
As someone who has lived in several apartments in a number of different cities, let me tell you that shopping for a new place is by no means a glamorous process, and neither is moving.
But the genius of the Brad Bellflower ad campaign is that it takes an ordinarily stressful ordeal and makes it look exciting — revolutionary, even — by indulging in a little bit of fantasy.
Just as ‘Zillowing’ has become a part of the American lexicon, Apartments.com has adopted a content strategy that emphasizes the wonder of imagining oneself in a new living arrangement through a platform that brings infinite housing possibilities directly to your fingertips. No moving boxes and no sketchy listings.
Carried by Goldblum’s unique charm, the ads also deftly reflect the actor’s signature mix of humor and science fiction. Game shows, aliens, piano jingles and interns who are willing to go anywhere to scout out listings, the ads are as entertaining as they are all-encompassing. They have a bit of something for everyone, indicating that no matter who you are or where you’re from, Apartments.com wants to help you find the place of your dreams.
Like any long-running ad campaign, the content tends to come in waves. Through each iteration, Apartments.com has stayed relevant and kept audiences hooked with a mix of commercials that, although they may follow the same general formula, are quite distinct from one another. Bellflower is always up to something new. Each ad feels like a different episode in a running series, adding to the ever-expanding Brad Bellflower cinematic universe. He even made a cameo in the rollout of Homes.com’s 2024 ad campaign (another brand under the CoStar Group umbrella).
So naturally, all of this got me thinking: If someone made a spinoff series about the Brad Bellflower story, I’d definitely tune in.
More Stories To Tell?
OK, maybe not a full-fledged sitcom (à la Geico’s Cavemen back in 2007), but I feel like Bellflower is the type of character who would excel in a different medium. He might be built to help people find and list apartments, but that doesn’t mean he needs to be a renter, too.
Instead, Apartments.com could lean into Goldblum’s (and Bellflower’s) cult following and consider creating original content it can own. Sure, that could be a TV series, but it could also be a documentary (or a mockumentary), a podcast, a TED Talk-style lecture series or a reality TV franchise. When brands start thinking like publishers, the possibilities for reaching new audiences can be endless.
Take the aforementioned Zillow, for example. The company turned a social media home shopping phenomenon into an HGTV series, where a celebrity host takes viewers on a tour of some of the most eccentric houses in the country. Not only is the show entertaining for fans obsessed with wacky real estate, but it also promotes Zillow’s brand awareness and drives interested users to the home shopping platform. I can envision a similar, apartment-focused show hosted by Goldblum (as Bellflower, of course) having a comparable impact on Apartments.com.
If a scripted show is more your style, look no further than Apple TV’s Ted Lasso, which practically wrote the playbook for making the jump from advertising to a successful TV series. Jason Sudeikis first played the titular character during a series of ads promoting NBC Sports’ coverage of the English Premier League. Now, Ted Lasso is one of the most popular streaming shows and has greatly increased U.S. interest in soccer and the Premier League in particular.
Perhaps a limited series on the life and times of Brad Bellflower would have a similar effect on the rental industry. (I mean, have you seen the price of houses lately?) Ted Lasso showed that it’s at least possible.
With Bellflower as the spokescharacter, Apartments.com’s traditional advertising campaign has been wildly successful. But if the company wants to stay atop the rental platform food chain, it’s never too late to think about adopting a marketing strategy suited for the new age of brand publishing. It’s the kind of forward-thinking move that would make Brad Bellflower proud.
This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.us.
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Going For Gold: The 12 Best Summer Olympic Ad Campaigns Of The 21st Century
What would you say if the world was watching?
That’s the billion-dollar question that a select group of brands must answer every four years when the Summer Olympic Games grace our television screens. Seriously, before the 2024 Paris Olympics were even completed, ad sales estimates reached a record $1.25 billion in the U.S. alone, underscoring the growing value being placed on advertising during the biggest sporting event on earth. It’s not a stretch to say that some ads may even reach more than a billion people worldwide, given that more than 3 billion have tuned in to watch each iteration of the games since 2008 and streaming platforms are bringing the games to more people than ever before.
This kind of unrivaled global viewership gives brands a clear path to shaping their image in the world’s consciousness for years to come. But much like the athletes who participate in the games, brands only get one shot, one opportunity to meet the moment and leave a lasting impression on old and new audiences alike. It’s a high-stakes game of content marketing that often favors the bold, the elegant and the heartwarming.
Sounds simple, right? After all, the games are usually chock-full of dramatic storylines and compelling figures ripe for engagement. But what typically separates the run-of-the-mill ad campaigns from the truly extraordinary ones (or your “happy to be here’s” from your legitimate medal contenders, if you will) is the latter’s ability to deftly weave together brand identity with the Olympic themes of sacrifice, passion and unity. It’s one thing to pay an elite athlete to promote a particular product; it’s another to highlight their unique journey to tell a more endearing, more inspiring story.
Visa
Even for the legions of brands that don’t quite have the resources to hire an Olympian or pay for a pricey TV spot, the Olympic advertising environment can still teach us a few things about brand publishing and branded content more broadly.
For starters, it’s usually a good idea to make certain popular events are somehow integrated into your content strategy. Developing specialized content that ties into what everyone is watching at a specific moment in time can pay major dividends when it comes to SEO, SERP rankings and overall brand recognition.
So, too, can investing in human-interest storytelling. You don’t always need a world champion gymnast with a million Instagram followers to get audiences interested in your brand. Everyone has a story to tell. You just have to find the one that makes the most sense for your brand (and your budget).
Finally, a touch of creativity and outside-the-box thinking can go a long way. Don’t recycle the same slogans or the same worn-out ad formulas. Make your content pop by giving people something they don’t see (or scroll past) every day.
Alright, let’s get to the list. Here’s a collection of the best Olympic ad campaigns of the 21st century.
BrianAJackson / istockphoto
This Samsung ad made for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro is an uplifting place to start our advertising journey. It stitches together lyrics from several different national anthems sung by people living all over the world to form one unifying song. By demonstrating the connective power of smartphones, the ad offers an enticing glimpse into a “world without barriers” – an adequate encapsulation of the Olympic spirit.
Samsung
Nike’s newest ad, freshly made for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, features a dizzying lineup of some of its most famous athletes and a playful narration from the great Willem Dafoe. Does being a fierce competitor make these elite athletes “bad” people? Or is it just a prerequisite for greatness? This fast-paced ad lets viewers ruminate on these questions, keeping Nike on their minds long after the ad is done playing.
Nike
Fitting for an Olympic games taking place amid a global pandemic, Samsung’s 2020 ad reminds us that even though we might be physically located in different places, technology keeps us connected. The ad strikes a proper balance between wonder and emotion, featuring a heartwarming appearance from Olympic skateboarder Sky Brown and her father.
Samsung
The Killers’ All These Things That I’ve Done makes a catchy soundtrack for Nike’s 2008 ad campaign. “Courage” is another fast-paced, Olympic-themed montage from the sports apparel company that aims to give audiences a visceral feeling of what it means to live Nike’s slogan, “Just Do It.”
Nike
Some slick editing put future (at the time) Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin and legendary Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci together in Adidas’ elegant ad for the 2004 games in Athens. Comaneci was the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 at the Olympic games, inspiring generations of athletes to believe that “perfection is possible.”
Adidas
No words are necessary for this 2016 Visa ad spot. Guided by a steady heartbeat, viewers are given a snapshot of the life of an Olympic long jumper – from training to the games in Rio de Janeiro. The quick cuts between the athlete and the heart underscore the intensity of the moment and are an apt analogy for Visa’s takeaway message: “Always performing.”
Visa
Procter & Gamble wants you to “Lead With Love” (and listen to your mom) in this 2020 ad for the Tokyo Games. It’s a continuation of the home care company’s series of mom-focused Olympic ads, which use a handful of small vignettes to tug at your heartstrings and make you want to call home.
P&G
Alright, who’s cutting onions? Here’s the first of P&G’s series of Olympic ads honoring all the moms out there who make their children’s dreams possible. Through all the early wake-ups, the rides to and from practices, and the steady encouragement, this heartwarming ad reminds us that “the hardest job in the world” is also “the best job in the world.”
P&G
Four athletes, four different sports, and one awesome Sia soundtrack. The folks at P&G can’t stop making hits. This 2016 Olympics ad from its subsidiary, the razor and skincare brand Gillette, gives viewers a dramatized version of the struggles athletes endure to be at their best.
Gillette
Is that the voice of god? Close! It’s Morgan Freeman. Visa’s “Go World” ads left an indelible mark on viewers during the 2008 Olympic games. The gold-tinted images and the crescendoing chorus on the main ad spot set the stage for an inspiring series highlighting stories from past Olympians like Derek Redmond and Kerri Strug.
Visa
Greatness can come from anywhere. That’s the message Nike gave to the world during the 2012 games in London. The ad captures the Olympic spirit through a beautiful sequence of shots set to an uplifting violin soundtrack. It’s enough to make anyone get up off the couch and try doing some cool stuff.
Nike
The second installment of P&G’s “Thank you, Mom” ad campaign is its most potent. There aren’t many more effective ways to capture an audience’s attention than opening with storm sirens and a tornado. Through this 120-second spot, P&G tells the story of four Olympians to remind us of all the ways moms give us the strength to achieve the extraordinary.
This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.us.
P&G
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Featured Image Credit: Apartments.com.
