Newport Beach’s Surterre Properties unveiled what it bills as the first glow-in-the-dark real estate listing, one of several notable branding additions and changes for the residential real estate brokerage, which has about 450 agents and staff.
The new twist on the ubiquitous plastic stick-in-the-ground for-sale sign comes as Surterre is replacing its longstanding rock marketing image with undulating ocean water, a change unveiled publicly this week.
Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer Paula Ansara-Wilhelm said the environment has changed for real estate agents since the firm—now one of Orange County’s largest brokerages for high-end homes—launched in 2006.
“We noticed that our rock, which was a great start for us because it was well-recognizable and unique, didn’t reproduce well in the mobile environment, and we know that’s where our buyers, sellers, agents, everyone is at,” she said.
The two-year process resulted in replacing the rock, which was difficult to see online and on mobile devices, with the water image, which still connects to the firm’s name—is French for “on earth.” It also switched its color palette to black, white and gray, and there’s a more contemporary font style.
Surterre made changes to its website and introduced new technologies to agents and staff to improve everything from lead generation and market research to client communication.
“One of the most important needs we found across the board was to save agents and clients time. With that single focus, we were able to build solutions to meet that need,” said President and Chief Executive Gary Legrand.
The company also wanted to make it easy for clients and agents to connect with each other quickly, Ansara-Wilhelm said, one reason it created a sign that’s visible even in the middle of the night.
Ansara-Wilhelm, who got the idea while searching for rebranding inspiration on Pinterest, said that because Surterre still has deep roots in the local market, creating a better sign was key.
“We know that signs make a huge difference, and I know a lot of our agents get calls from signs, especially in walking neighborhoods like Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach.”
It took more than six months to create the sign, from finding a local vendor to create the proper ink, to making it weatherproof, to testing it.
The final product is a simplified, easy-to-read sign that features Surterre’s logo and the agent’s name and phone number featured prominently.
“The average consumer has an eight-second attention span, so we really stripped away all the unnecessary information and focused on what was important,” Ansara-Wilhelm said.
While agents are typically required to purchase listing signs, the company said it will buy new listings signs for them through January 2020 to maintain brand consistency.
Surterre declined to disclose the sign’s price but said it’s cheaper than the high-tech digital sign introduced by New York-based firm Compass last year for an estimated $700 a pop.
“To see it come to fruition when it was just a goofy idea in my head is very cool,” Ansara-Wilhelm said.
Pedal to the Metal
San Clemente-based sock and intimates label Stance is getting behind the driver’s seat with the help of Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo.
The 29-year-old Australian professional race car driver has joined Stance’s roster of brand ambassadors, which the company refers to as “punks and poets.”
“He’s a true original, and we are excited to have him as part of our brand family,” founder and Chief Executive Jeff Kearl said in a statement.
Ricciardo said he was already a fan of Stance because of its creative designs and quality.
“The socks and underwear are next level in terms of comfort and fit, so being able to work with a brand that I already put on every day is going to be really fun,” he said in a statement.
Ricciardo will debut a limited edition range of socks and underwear that’s expected to launch next year online and in Stance’s retail stores.
After five years, the driver ended his final season with Red Bull Racing at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last week. He’ll be joining French carmaker Renault next season.
