The real power of celebrities
Mikaelawilkes looks at why real estate makes sense as a second career for former stars.
‘‘While being a ‘star’ or a ‘celebrity’ might help in the early days, real estate is about the long game’’ Bindi Norwell
Chief executive of the Real Estate Institute
Former Shortland Street star Angela Bloomfield is the latest to join a long roster ofmedia and sports personalities pivoting to a second career selling houses.
If it seems like some real estate agents seem somewhat familiar, that’s because a lot of them used to be on television.
Bloomfieldwas encouraged to take on the profession by former fellow actor-turned-agent Shane Cortese, who is now an auctioneer.
On the other side of the bridge, former athlete and host of Mitre 10 Dream Home, Jayne Kiely, is selling everything from $350,000 units to East Auckland mansions for Ray White. National Rugby League legend Logan Swann is her Remuera branch colleague.
Two suburbs over, formertelevision broadcaster Hamish Mckay is selling St Heliers homes with Bayleys; TV personality Sally Ridge is on the inner city round; and Headless Chickens’ singer Fiona Mcdonald is in the central suburbs with Barfoot & Thompson.
Former Breakfast host Rawdon Christie learned the trade over lockdown and, last but not least, former deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett is joining the senior management team at Bayleys in the commercial property division after the general election.
At this rate our longstanding hospital melodrama should consider a setting change to a brokerage a` la Netflix’s Selling Sunset. There’s amore starstudded cast of Kiwis to be found in real open homes than on sets or the sports fields.
Sommer Kapitan, senior lecturer in consumer psychology at AUT thinks the career change from one public-facing role to another makes a lot of sense.
``Lots of retired celebrities write books too. These are people who’ve cultivated some kind of public image and can leverage that in another public-facing role like real estate,’’ she said.
There’s a psychological process that marketers call ``meaning transfer’’. Consumers can’t help but associate a certain set of general images and feelings with public figures. The things you think of when someone says Billie Eilish will be different to things you think of when someone mentions Lizzo or Adele.
``When you think of awellknown person there are automatic associations that are triggered,’’ Kapitan says.
``When you pair those automatic associations with a brand or service, a little of their properties rub off on the product, which is, in this case, the house.’’
People also tend to unconsciously transfer meaning from the characters that actors play.
``If their Shorty role was humorous or sympathetic or villainous, a little of that transfers into how you feel about them too,’’ Kapitan said.
A symbiotic match between the image of the well-known person and the kind of property the owner has for sale will aid the marketing.
Kapitan uses the example of Jayne Kiely: ``Jayne is beautiful and glamorous, so I imagine the houses she’s selling to be beautiful and glamorous.
``Likewise, I can’t envision Jayne selling a farm unless it was a lifestyle block with a spa pool. Hiring an excelebrity agent makes sense to me if there’s an image match between the person and the lifestyle qualities that you want to highlight in your listing.’’
Generally speaking, attention sells houses. The more people who are interested in a property (or the person selling it), the better for the owner.
``It won’t work on everyone. If you didn’t watch Shorty St, one of their actors selling a house won’t register,’’ said Kapitan.
``But if you’re trying to sell an expensive family home in Remuera to awealthy demographic who would know these guys from the 90s, it certainly doesn’t hurt.’’
Bindi Norwell, chief executive of the Real Estate Institute thinks we see so many public personalities in real estate because they have transferable skills, are used to working outside ``the 9 to 5’’ and getting knocked back.
``What we have seen from people moving from the world of media to the world of real estate is that they tend to have a number of important skills that will help them to succeed, including having a good network of contacts, being an excellent communicator/listener, having a strong work ethic, and tenacity.
``These skills are extremely important in the real estate profession, and it is why a number of ex-media and sports people have been so successful in their new career.’’
Of course, personal branding will only get them so far.
``While being a `star’ or a `celebrity’ might help in the early days, real estate is about the long game. Additionally, individuals still need to be able to prove to potential clients that they have the trust and importantly, the credibility required to sell a property,’’ she said.
She added that former teachers and people in the military and public service would have similar levels of transferable skills.