Once in a while, a marketing campaign comes along that makes everyone buzz with curiosity and excitement. Such a campaign hit Charleston, South Carolina, on January 1, 2009, when the city got flooded with mysterious dollar billboards. Speculations started immediately. Who is behind the dollar billboard campaign; is it McDonald’s Dollar Menu or maybe Geico? Many guesses were off, yet some guessed correctly. The clever campaign was introduced by rēhava-real estate store that is slashing its commission in half, rewarding its buyers by giving 50% of its commission back at closing. Rēhava has already awarded over $80,000 in rewards.
The dollar billboard campaign started with just a simple dollar bill which got literally ripped in half after a week. This was supposed to be a clue symbolizing rēhava’s rewards. A week later, “damaged” billboards received a facelift, a new poster announcing rēhava’s promise of rewarding its buyers. “We couldn’t believe the frenzy when the campaign started,” says Steve deGuzman, broker in charge of rēhava. “The billboard company called us to let us know that local TV stations and newspapers were trying to find out what the dollar bills meant and who put them up.”
Rēhava distinguishes itself from a standard real estate firm by using the most effective technology available, especially Web 2.0. In June 2008, the company embraced the inevitable changes happening in the real estate industry and introduced a new and innovative real estate model that rewards clients. “We are reinventing the real estate industry. The reaction to our dollar billboards is a true testimonial that the economy is on everyone’s mind. Our revolutionary real estate concept is timelier now than it has ever been,” says Steve deGuzman. “Those who understand how real estate transactions work can see that our concept is a radical move towards putting clients first and giving them the most that a real estate agency can offer.”
Alongside the billboards, the company also kicked-off its on-line guerrilla marketing campaign through its Mystery Dollar blog, asking people to guess who was behind the dollar billboards. The winner, Josh Nissenboim, guessed correctly and won a dinner for two at Charleston Grill.
The first real estate store is located at 5060 International Boulevard in front of the Tanger Outlet Center.
Mystery Dollar Blog 