Media disruption and the path-to-purchase

Few will argue that traditional selling and purchasing behaviours have been disrupted with

the changes brought about by the speed and connectivity of the internet in our modern

lives.

No more so than for the global property market.

In 2018, 43% of home buyers are cited as Millennials (born between 1981 and 1997) but

today, even Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) can navigate their way around

the web when shopping for a second holiday home on foreign shores.

With the ease of accessibility supported by the latest virtual apps and augmented

experiences, purchasers can view a global offering of interior living spaces and work

environments, where information immediacy is delivered in bulk and even social media

sharing is an effective advertising channel.

So, is print dead and are newspapers outdated when it comes to advertising your home

sale? Much like life itself, enterprise continues in cycles which overlap and blur. While

anyone with a smart phone and a search box is a potential buyer what has not been

disrupted is the other side of the story; our human DNA which relies on our senses and our

human spirit in making choices in life.

When buying a home, we need to experience what a city, a suburb, a street, and a home

looks – and feels – like to us in real time. Who doesn’t enjoy lying in bed on a Sunday

morning paging through the large-display property sections, comparing suburbs, spaces and

price offerings side-by-side. We thrill at the experience of an open house, comparing and

competing with the other potential buyers for a house that everyone wants. And we trust

our property area specialist whose photo is displayed on the page, to know and

engage with us in relationships that go beyond ad targeting and consumer algorithms.

Today, any consumer would say why make a choice of media when you can enjoy the

options and pleasures of both.