Advanced warning, I’m about to pick a few scabs here (good visual, right?) In my humble opinion, the answer to the question above is NO.  Simply taking a look at those sections should be a huge indicator to their popularity these days.  And, what I do see in the new home sections, quite frankly, is embarrassing.  Has everybody forgotten how to advertise with style?  (ok, I’m stopping now, and not gonna go there).

Today’s media plans, largely created in the heat of whatever happened the weekend prior, are changing.  They’re changing because our buyer’s awareness is changing.  And though a lot of the shift is taking place online, there is also a shift happening in traditional media.  I’m a definite believer (at least for today) that a comprehensive media plan is the way to go.  While there might be a time in the very near future to tilt the scales grossly to online, that day has not yet come.  Today our papers still exist and are in circulation, meaning that at least some consumers are still reading them.  Because of those millions of people still reading papers, I’m thinking we should still be advertising in them.  Ok, now just because I’m still a believer in newspaper, doesn’t mean that my heart isn’t going online, because let me tell you, it is.  I just think, that for today, we need to be hitting both places.  Tomorrow is another day.

Now, untraditional is where I was going.  Let’s face it – the real estate sections are becoming less and less popular in this economy.  But it’s not only the economy creating this change, it’s the convergence of the economy and the shift in consumers researching online before actually visiting a community.  I think that today, our clients might find more success in reaching out to consumers in more mainstream news sections, where consumers are spending more quality time reading about what’s happening day by day in this economy.

Will the new home real estate sections make a come back?  That’s hard to say.  I’m critical on that point.  They may have another spurt when people jump back into the market, but I think it may fizzle out shortly thereafter.  New home might become part of the resale mix (which I think still has a long life ahead, as long as newspapers live anyway).

All right, so I’ve hit this point.  It’s not all I am or think as it relates to media and marketing plans today, don’t even get me started on blogs and social media. I’ll save that for another day, but I’ll give you a hint that it’s one of my favorite topics and I am a social media LOVER.

Let’s sell some homes friends and I’d love to hear what you think on the subject.