Client:Zoomf.com
Campaign:Launching the best property search engine

The challenge

Zoomf.com is the first vertical search engine for property in the UK. Unlike traditional online property portals which rely on estate agents registering their sales and lettings listings with them and setting up feeds, Zoomf.com’s technology short-circuits that entire time-intensive process by taking information directly from estate agents sites, in the way that Google operates. The result is a comprehensive, fast and accurate service for anyone looking to buy or rent property.

Mandate’s job was to launch Zoomf.com to the London media to establish it as the place to search for property in the region and thereby become a must-have for estate agents and a must-search for consumers. The London launch was also designed to act a springboard for the national launch later in the year.

The PR programme had to deliver editorial in a wide range of trade and consumer media to help build confidence in the Zoomf.com brand among target consumer and trade audiences across regionals, nationals, verticals, trade and online media.

Solution

There is an insatiable appetite for property news and statistics in the UK. Property stories frequently grab headlines, particularly if the story has a national perspective or a regional break down.

To create maximum media interest, Mandate positioned Zoomf.com as the solution to the house-hunting nightmare and an ally to estate agents seeking a higher profile Specifically, Zoomf.com was portrayed as:

• providing an innovative challenge to the entrenched competition (the so-called portals)
• addressing consumers’ frustrations when looking for a property, especially in a property drought
• sharing a wealth of relevant, interesting, quirky property information, that can help consumers make an informed choice of property.

Creating a Zoomf.com Barometer
The Mandate team needed a tool that enabled them to provide a constant flow of angles and information tailored to the target media. Behind the Zoomf.com search engine there is a wealth of information captured by the technology that powers it, including

• type of properties available: statistics on sizes, areas and types of houses and flats, number of properties with garages, balconies, fire places, etc.
• area information: proximity to the tube, buses, post offices, schools, restaurants, pubs, shops, etc
• search behaviour: what do consumers search for – the most popular areas, types of properties, guide prices, etc

To strengthen the Barometer information, Mandate also identified third-party endorsements from selected estate agents and mortgage brokers.

Result

In the first six months of the campaign, Mandate delivered a consistent flow of tailored news angels and information to the trade media which resulted in 72 pieces of coverage:

• 10 pieces of national coverage, even though it was a London-centric launch!
• 7 pieces of trade coverage in key property and mortgage media
• £187,350 PR value (on print coverage alone)
• 18,831,344 people reached about the London offering of Zoomf.com
• The campaign generated a return on Zoomf.com’s investment of 4.5: 1.