The real estate aesthetic: the genius of Gen Z marketing
The traditional estate agency model has long been considered ripe for disruption, although reports of its demise have proved somewhat premature. Platforms such as Rightmove and Zoopla have provided the agency world with a stepping stone to the digital world, while technologies such as Matterhorn have dramatically changed the property marketing landscape.
To date, these innovations have improved rather than reinvented the property marketing experience. Though some of the collateral may have changed, the marketing process has remained broadly the same.
There is, however, a growing sense that this may be about to change. Estate agency marketing – for so long rooted in traditional habits – is now beginning to evolve at a greater pace. The popularity of Netflix shows such as Selling Sunset and the rise of so-called ‘property porn’ on Instagram is really beginning to challenge the conventions of how property is marketed.
Digitally native and image savvy estate agents can now generate a following and promote their products entirely via social media without needing a high street presence. It doesn’t necessarily follow that the entire industry will follow suit, but best in class marketeers such as Grant Bates (@grantjbates) will almost certainly see some of their tactics taken on board by more mainstream competition.
We are also likely to see more diversification and collaboration throughout the sector. Established agencies such as Savills and Knight Frank have long been associated with premium residential property, but challenger brands such as Quintessentially and Sotheby’s are beginning to branch out from their core business activities to capitalise on their networks and marketing power.
The language and tactics of property marketing are under greater pressure than ever to evolve to suit a changing consumer base. Today’s generation of first-time buyers are influenced and engaged by the digital landscape more than ever before. So an industry that has traditionally relied on glossy brochures and printed advertisements is now having to adapt to the needs of Generation Z - loosely defined as those born between 1995 – 2010 – as the future movers and shakers within the market. Marketing to Gen Z consumers demands a very specific language and approach, in addition to an innovative and cohesive strategy.
Gen Z marketing is based on common themes of aesthetics, humour, relatability/community, honesty, knowledge and discussion. The term ‘aesthetic’ stems from the philosophical narrative of discussing art. It’s an appreciation of beauty, taste, sound and touch and Gen Z have become drivers of this term as creative leaders of the online world.
This refers to how we’re drawn to the aesthetic part of social media content – what looks good, makes us feel something. The Gen Z community has begun categorising aesthetics and creating whole personas around it – such as ‘Old Money aesthetic’, ‘Cottage-Core aesthetic’ ‘Dark Academia aesthetic’. This may seem completely foreign to other generations – but the influence of selling a product and marketing it as ‘old money’ or ‘cottage-core’ is staggering.
Ralph Lauren saw a sharp increase in sales from 4.4bn US dollars in 2021 to 6.44bn dollars in 2023. It’s no surprise that the ‘Old Money aesthetic’ increased in popularity during
this time, due to emphasis on the British countryside, introductions to timeless clothing brands, sustainability, materialism, and popular films such as Amazon Prime’s ‘Saltburn’ alongside influencers such as Lydia Millen propelling companies such as Ralph Lauren.
Marketing within the built environment sector has recently reached new heights due to its flexibility towards this marketing style. With the rise of TikTok as one of the biggest social media platforms and a substantial portion of TikTok's user base falling within the 18-25 age range, agents have a golden opportunity to connect with prospective homebuyers.
How does the real estate market shine in such a consumer, goods-focused space? How does influence generate leads in a market of younger ages, where they would rarely be a target customer? This is where aesthetics themselves come to play. Marketers take viral trends on platforms such as TikTok and make them valuable. This tactic of user-generated content (UGC) means that real estate companies encourage users to share their experiences, opinions, and photos of properties on social media platforms, thereby amplifying their reach and fostering a sense of community and authenticity around their brand.
With 1.1 billion monthly active users globally, TikTok has spurred the growth of real estate agents, even launching them into influencer fame.
A great example of how real estate agents are using this marketing technique is Savills. As one of the UK’s biggest estate agents, they have embraced Gen Z marketing in all its forms. With a following of 25k on TikTok and 227k on Instagram, their fresh, aesthetic content is capturing the attention of this youthful demographic. On TikTok – they lean on trends. With 51.4m uses of the #pov (meaning Point Of View) Savills posted a video titled ‘POV: You live in a castle’ where viewers can take a look around the spectacular Dunbeath Estate Castle as if it were their own. Engaging in this trend earned them thousands of views.
Savills’ emphasis on posting old houses and estates cleverly lingers on the recent ‘Saltburn’ film that Gen Z have consistently posted about – encapsulating the previously mentioned old money aesthetic. Although they won’t necessarily generate many leads from showing these estates – the brand awareness and engagement rates they build from this enhance their reputation and make them a desirable company to interact with.
It’s this aesthetic impact that’s amplifying the real estate industry across social platforms. Turning audiences’ attention to dream homes, interiors, colour schemes and lifestyles, it’s convincing Gen Z (the royalty of online audiences) – meaning that other generations also listen.
Property investors and developers can no longer ignore the importance of embracing the power of digital storytelling to create compelling narratives around properties. Through immersive virtual tours, engaging video content, and captivating storytelling techniques, they transport potential buyers into the lifestyle and ambience of a property, tapping into Gen Z’s desire for authentic experiences and visual narratives. We can learn from this the importance of adaptability, progression and thinking creatively about how we authentically engage with these new audience types.