Remember Nike's message to folks who put off getting in shape?
Live Baltimore, a nonprofit that promotes home buying in Baltimore City, doesn't want home buyers to procrastinate, either, in its newest ad campaign, which starts later this month.
The message is "buy now,"
Live Baltimore Executive Director Anna Custer says.
With interest rates low, a depressed housing market, and cash incentives for buying in the city, purchasing a Baltimore home has never been more affordable, she says.
"We want to give people a reason to get off their hind legs," Custer says. "Stop saying someday," I'll buy a house.
The $40,000 multimedia ad campaign will include ads in DC Metro stations, Google pay-per-click ads, Facebook, and other social media sites. You will also see a viral campaign involving "flash mobs," or the idea that random people gather at a public location to chant, cheer, dance, or perform some other predetermined act.
Live Baltimore's goal is to reach the creative class of young, hip professionals who will view home buying in Baltimore an investment in their future.
Still, getting people to buy a home in Baltimore is fraught with challenges given that perceptions of the city are mired in images of "the Wire," and the latest census data shows that the city lost residents over the last decade.
Custer says she hopes the campaign will challenge people's perceptions and stir up conversations on everything from neighborhoods to food in Baltimore.
One key component of the campaign includes taking iconic signs throughout the city and using them to form words. So, for instance, the "O" from the Domino Sugar sign might be used to spell Baltimore. Folks who can guess where the shots were taken get a prize.
Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Anna Custer, Live Baltimore