As one of the original franchise pioneers, Century 21 has taken great pride in being the most recognizable brand in real estate globally for nearly two straight decades. Many supporters of the re-brand agree it's time for a face lift, while experienced brokers and realtors feel left behind.
From the corporate standpoint
Cara Whitley, chief marketing officer, Century 21 real estate, sums it up this way: " The brand needed to reflect that our sales professionals set the bar for what it means to be an extraordinary real estate agent. By eliminating complexity and dated iconography, the new identity provides a clean and clear stage for their personality and unique style to shine through." Part of the idea was to modernize the logo by eliminating the image of a house. Many believe this is exactly what the 47 year old company needs to stay relevant.
From the broker's and agent's standpoint
Noree Barilla - "For the fees that we pay to corporate, we should have had a say in the re-branding! I like the C21, but it looks like we are paying only for brand awareness, and not getting our own office and agent info advertised! Please change the font size for office and agent name and phone numbers!"
Ronald Rudolph- "As I’ve been saying since this nonsense began , we , the backbone of the industry, are now almost invisible. There is no defense for this."
Steven Delia- "I have 100% negative feedback from my agents on the signs. Have actually been asked by a client to remove it and put up and our original signs. Franchises are about a group joined together and all using the same across the country. That builds name recognition, which we will not have as we move forward. Huge mess caused by corporate."
Monica Mcbee- " Wasn't real thrilled with the new colors, but I was willing to give the re-branding a chance. My new cards are nothing special, but they will do. However, after driving up to my two most recent listings and seeing the yard sign, I have to admit my stomach just dropped. Can we say anonymous?? That is what we SHOULD say because that is the impact of these signs. Sad - did anyone even field test before making the change? A non-Realtor who was with me was not impressed and wonders why we even bothered.
Let's open a dialogue, tell me how you feel about this re-branding or others you have seen and how they worked out.