In early 2018, the real estate market was reviving. The good pace of sales and limited offering of new-builds (as a result of the crisis in the real estate market, still quite recent, which stopped all construction) meant that there was little product to offer, so real estate companies had to work hard to get the products to put on the market, whether for sale or rent.

After conducting a local and national market study to identify its communication options, Vidal Gomà commissioned Xoo Studio to create 2 campaigns: one for home-owners interested in selling (in order to get these flats for its portfolio) and one for buyers and renters (who would be offered the products attracted in the first phase of the campaign).

If market studies and benchmarking have one thing it is that they offer a global view that is then useful for decision-making.

In the study prior to the campaigns, it became clear that the real estate sector in general is very classical and either looks to promotional resources (“Buy now and get an iPhone”) or seriousness (“Serving the real estate market since XXXX”).

Knowing that the real estate market is divided into these two styles, it wasn’t a question of choosing a side. If they wanted to get products, which were scarce, they had to stand out. And that’s what we did.

Illustration is a very infrequently used resource in communication and advertising for the real estate sector, despite being quite trendy in advertising in general. So, highlighting illustration in the campaign, instead of using photos, seemed like a good place to start.

There are loads of illustrators who are currently working for the advertising industry. Each with their own unique style. For Vidal Gomà, we were looking for something fresh, modern, with a spark, and we through the casual pencil strokes of Amaia Arrazola would be just right.

Amaia Arrazola is an illustrator who was born in Vitoria but has lived in Barcelona since 2011. She works (and, she says, practically lives) in a studio with other professionals from the world of music and art. Amaia likes everything to do with illustration: art, screen printing, graphic design and typography. In general, anything fresh and spontaneous grabs her attention. And that’s what we were looking for.

She has illustrated for advertising agencies like McCann Erickson, La Despensa, Shackleton Barcelona, Leo Burnett Canada, and brands like Coca-Cola, Movistar, Metro de Madrid, Nobel, Café Estrella, Bounce and El Corte Inglés, among others.

Amaia’s illustrations were used for both campaigns, on all sorts of media (press adverts, online banners, outdoor advertising, office signs, etc.). And they showed that you can (and must) be different to attract attention, set yourself apart and achieve great goals. “People stop and look at the window,” they told us when we put in the new vinyl. Well, sure…what did you expect?