Realtor Barbie
When you think of Barbie, what comes to mind?
It depends on whether you’ve seen the movie.
If you haven’t, you might think of a toy that largely objectified women and how they should look. At least I did.
That was until I saw the movie.
It reframed my thinking.
I used to hear “Barbie” and roll my eyes while having a silent rant in my head. Today, I heard “Barbie” and smiled peacefully. I thought of my daughters1. Instead of seeing pink only as feminine, I see pink as feminine and powerful. The movie changed my feelings … about a doll.
It changed how I felt. And that, my friends, is a re-brand.
The key word? Felt.
When Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach wrote the screenplay, they weren’t trying to sell dolls.
Their goal was to connect with an audience on a human level. They articulated their audience's complex feelings, pain points, and aspirations. This, in turn, sold dolls and anything pink and influenced every company that sold anything to anyone.
What’s even more impressive?
It created a common bond among thousands and enjoyed a rare and unique cinema virality.
Why should you care?
Because we’re in an industry re-brand.
Most of you here on Substack already know our profession doesn’t evoke the best emotion in people, which is a shame. However, when you ask a friend or neighbor about their realtor, they’ll say there’s nobody better.
Interesting, right?
Typically, people don’t have kind words for our industry, yet they love the realtors they know and trust.
Why is that?
Because agents advertise (sell themselves) vs. brand (articulate someone elses problem.)
What are we willing to do about it?
Will you personally change your thinking about your marketing?
How will you level up your marketing?
Are you busy preparing more material that talks about yourself? Or are you focused on what your customer is going through?
The success of the realtor rebrand will depend on whether we’re willing to display some individuality and authenticity. The first step? Understanding ourselves. It’s impossible to know the problem we’re wired to solve if we don't understand ourselves first.
Start there, and start today.
As Barbie said, “You have to try – even if you can't make it perfect, you can make it better.”
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There’s a line in the movie delivered by Ruth Handler, the original creator of Barbie: "We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back to see how far they've come.” Well, that was it for me (tears!) When Barbie asked for permission to be human, she explained she didn’t need permission to be human. Neither do you.