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Coldwell Banker Launches branded YouTube channel

Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC today launched an innovative branded YouTube™ channel designed to offer consumers a new way to search for and interact with real estate information and listings.  Named Coldwell Banker On Location (www.youtube.com/coldwellbanker), the channel was created to more fully tap into the power of video for real estate search and discovery, and to drill deeper into the local insights that consumers want.

To create On Location, Coldwell Banker Real Estate closely collaborated with both YouTube, a Google subsidiary, and Google to develop a customized framework and user experience – offering what is arguably one of the most comprehensive and immersive brand channels on the YouTube platform.  On Location is the first branded YouTube channel to use dynamic IP lookup to search for videos, which automatically serves up local results when visitors first hit the site.

An Emphasis on Video and Local Content

Two areas of strategic focus set Coldwell Banker On Location apart from other real estate Web sites.  First, it showcases the power of video to bring real estate more vividly to life – offering behind-the-scenes looks at towns and neighborhoods, smart tips and timely news on real estate topics, and video listings of homes for sale.  Second, content posted to On Location has a strong emphasis on local information and insights, so consumers can dig deeper into the areas of the country that interest them most.

Supporting this highly localized perspective is one of the more unique aspects of Coldwell Banker On Location – the ability to search for videos through a special map feature that has been developed specifically for the site.  The map ‘widget’ is a prominent feature at the top of the On Location site and the main starting point for consumers searching for a home, a specific area of the country or more information on a real estate topic.

At launch, Coldwell Banker On Location will be the first YouTube brand channel to use dynamic IP look-up, so visitors to the site will automatically be shown video search results from their own area / zip code.  Then by clicking the link “Browse By Map,” consumers can enter the city / state or zip code of their choosing – which will immediately pull up all videos posted to On Location associated with that area.  These video results are displayed as icons on the map.

Each search will return a wide range of video results, including video listings, spotlights on that local community and Coldwell Banker sales associate/representative profiles.  Consumers can click through to view specific videos – as well as connect back to the main Coldwell Banker Web site to learn more about a specific property for sale.

“Video is a critical part of how today’s consumers want to explore real estate, and we intend to use it to an extent never before seen in our industry,” said Jim Gillespie, president and chief executive officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.  “On Location provides an exciting new platform for our vast network of thousands of sales associates to directly share the kind of local insights and knowledge that is invaluable to consumers hoping to learn about a new area.”

Gillespie noted that the site will appeal to a broad range of consumers.  “You might be a first time homebuyer deciding between a few different towns in your area, someone about to relocate across the country, a Boomer thinking ahead to where to retire, or simply a person who’s dreaming about your ideal home.  No matter what stage you’re at in your life or the real estate process, On Location has the insights you need served up in an exciting new format,” he said.

“Coldwell Banker On Location is about building the Web’s richest array of real estate video content that is also the richest in local insights,” said Michael Fischer, senior vice president of marketing, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.  “It’s the combination of these two missing pieces of the puzzle that make this site so exciting.  In addition, Coldwell BankerReal Estateis the first in the industry to put the full power of its brand and network behind a tool that represents the future of real estate – the video listing.”

“Every month, millions of people search on YouTube for real estate content," said Sam Sebastian, Classified and Local Advertising Director at Google. "Consumers are hungry for real estate-related videos. I'm thrilled that Coldwell Banker is developing such a substantial innovation for real estate video. I look forward to seeing Coldwell Banker build On Location into one of the most active destinations for real estate search, discussion and engagement.”

Some of the video and written content for On Location will be supplied by a select group of content providers, including the Associated Press, CNN, Reel Productions TV, This Old House and TurnHere.  Coldwell Banker On Location will complement the company’s main Web site at www.coldwellbanker.com – including the ‘Learn’ section which features educational content as well as news articles and updates on the real estate sector. It extends the company’s already robust social media strategy, which includes Facebook pages for the brand and its two founders, Colbert Coldwell and Arthur Banker, a Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/coldwellbnkr) and profiles on Flickr and FriendFeed.

In addition to using YouTube as a platform, Coldwell Banker Real Estate is using the Google family of ad networks and channels for promotion of On Location.  This includes both Google and YouTube search ads, YouTube banner promotions and Google TV.

Development of the On Location site was a collaborative effort by Coldwell Banker interactive agency partners, FD Kinesis and Bootstrap Software, Inc.

To see a video about Coldwell Banker On Location please visit:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1AKZDhUrLY