The unusual AI marketing technique turning heads – and doubling sales 

The pictures showed giraffes, rhinos, foxes, lions, red pandas and more, enjoying the amenities in the same way that buyers would, such as sleeping in beds and drinking coffee in the kitchen.

Marshall White’s project marketing director Leonard Teplin said the “whimsical” campaign, which had doubled sales in some cases, had successfully highlighted the properties’ features and dimensions.

“We’ve used rhinos in one case to showcase proportions and that a rhino can fit in the space,” he told REB.

“We’re trying to give you a visual to understand exactly what we’re offering and some of the points of difference that the space that the architecture can accommodate.”

According to Teplin, the campaign resonated with buyers over 50, particularly downsizers who appreciated a visual reference to gauge the sizes of the different rooms.

“It just gives them an understanding of proportions without us having to say that it’s six metres wide or five and a half metres high.”

He also said that, given the bulk of downsizers and empty-nesters had pets, depicting animals was an effective way to connect with his target audience and spark the curiosity in buyers.

“We are just trying to capture people’s attention, and it’s obviously working because the media’s picked up on it, buyers have picked up on it, people are talking about it.”

Rather than forking out money for an advertising campaign, Teplin said sellers wanted agents to think of interesting ways to showcase a property’s value and engage purchasers.

“When clients are spending anywhere around a thousand dollars per lead to generate an enquiry on realestate.com and other platforms, we thought we should try something a little bit different.”

“We want to make sure that our products are found before our competitors, and we want to position our client’s properties ahead of others.”

Despite property buyers being generally sceptical about AI in real estate, Teplin said his team hadn’t been concerned about potential negative ramifications of the campaign.

“The property is currently under construction, it’s already an artistic impression – we’re not altering the architectural design,” he said.

“All we’re simply showing is how the space could be used with proportions or the type of family that could, or the type of consumer that could be living there.”

To ensure the effective use of AI in marketing, Teplin said agents needed to understand their audience and be as clear as possible with their messaging.

“Just knowing your buyer, knowing who’s going to resonate with the product and how you are going to capture their imagination.”