• by Tanya Gazdik , April 21, 2016

Coldwell Banker is launching an integrated marketing campaign tied to the anticipated spring blockbuster “X-Men: Apocalypse.”

The effort includes a mock $75 million X-Mansion listing which allows X-Men enthusiasts to browse photos and view a video home tour shot on the set of Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. 

The listing includes a description of the 24-bedroom estate, complete with an automated, state-of-the-art training facility and fully retractable basketball court. Taking advantage of the “Seller Story” feature unique to Coldwell Banker listings, the X-Mansion listing also includes a history and memory of the home written by one of the film’s screenwriters.

This is the company’s first time as the exclusive real estate partner of a major film production, says Sean Blankenship, chief marketing officer for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.  Agency partners for the initiative are Siltanen & Partners, OMD, CooperKatz, REP Interactive and Endava.  

The real estate company has been developing relationships with new audiences that allow the brand to showcase the emotional and lifestyle benefits of home and extend its reach beyond traditional real estate advertising, he says.

“If you look at our integrations with CNET, Adopt-a-Pet.com and MLB.com, we have been able to share stories of home in differentiated ways to new consumer audiences,” Blankenship tells Marketing Daily. “With CNET, it’s the story of the smart home, with Adopt-a-Pet.com, it’s our commitment to find homes for dogs, and with MLB.com it’s the story of what home means to the biggest names in baseball.” 

With “X-Men Apocalypse,” the realtor wanted to do more than throw its name on a list of movie partners, he says.

“Through our partnerships, we have seen the power that comes when we find an area that both brands have a passion for,” Blankenship says. “With X-Men and Coldwell Banker, it’s the place the film’s heroes call home, the X-Mansion. We’re taking enthusiasts behind the scenes of the iconic X-Mansion and creating exclusive content that ties back to the meaning of home.” 

“X-Men: Apocalypse,” has a natural connection to home with the X-Mansion playing an integral role in the movie and the lives of its characters.

“In the X-Men lore and the film, the mansion is the place the X-Men learn to control their powers,” he says. “Before coming to the mansion, many of the superheroes struggled to fit in or feel comfortable – they didn’t have a place they could call home. The X-Mansion is a place they can escape their troubles, fears and worries and replace them with feelings of community, purpose and meaning. It’s the same feeling and message we want all home buyers to have.” 

In all of its integrations, the company looks for new audiences to connect with on a deeper level, Blankenship says.

“In this case, we’re developing content for the next-generation of home buyers and sellers by building relationships with X-Men and movie enthusiasts,” he says. “Imagine getting an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the real X-Mansion or reading the story of the home right from the perspective of one of your favorite characters, written by the film’s screenwriters. These fans have followed the X-Men characters all their lives, and now they can experience the actual home of their favorite superheroes. It’s something fans are inherently interested in, and who better to promote the details of one of their favorite homes than a real estate company?”

In advance of the film’s premiere in theaters on May 27, Coldwell Banker has developed several pieces of exclusive co-branded content to help promote the movie and how it ties into the concept of “home.” 

“We’ve created television ad spots using actual scenes from the movie to detail what makes the superheroes’ home awesome, each one driving to a landing page where consumers can find all of our X-Men content, and we have digital ad buys that will do the same,” Blankenship says. “Twentieth Century Fox will also be pushing our content out via their social channels, and we will be launching a public relations campaign to promote our custom content to X-Men and movie enthusiasts.”

The spots are “Nice To Come Home,” “Being At Home” and “X-Mansion Home of the Week.”

Coldwell Banker also is also tapping its network of nearly 85,000 agents to create excitement around the campaign. 

“We have branded collateral, flyers, e-cards and X-Men window clings that we’ll be sharing with the local offices across the country, Blankenship says.