Agent hits out at ‘agent puffery’ as he launches high street advertising campaign

Forget mailshot drops or Google Adwords to advertise your latest property listings or awards, one agent has turned to the high street and his own face to promote his brand.

Paul Cooney, director of London agent Horton and Garton in Chiswick, has rented an LED advertising board on Chiswick High Road showing just his face and a positive customer review.

Cooney said there is too much “puff” about sales figures in agency advertising, when sellers actually want to know about service.

He said: “I could say ‘we’re number one for sales agreed in Chiswick, Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush’ in huge letters but frankly no one cares.

“People are so used to agents’ puffery that it’s impossible for them to separate the genuine claim from the exaggerated.

“Chiswickians want to know how I will work for them as most people have had at least one shocking experience with an estate agent.

“The service I offer is unparalleled and the best in west London so that’s what I needed to capture in the ad.

“Ultimately, it’s about the client – so several of my past and current clients have agreed to share their testimonials on the LED board in the coming months.

“The response I’ve had thus far after only one week has been overwhelming with one local lady telling me every time she sees the ad it makes her smile.

“Ultimately, that’s what we’re here to do – make sellers and buyers happy by turning a stressful experience into an enjoyable one.”

https://twitter.com/PaulMCooneyLtd/status/968157408219533312

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15 Comments

  1. agency negotiation

    The ‘master’ of this medium is Bobby Singh from LoveYourPostcode.com.  His face is all over Birmingham.

    Totally agree it’s about the personal brand.  As long as there is a strong message.  Best wishes Paul.

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    1. LoveYourPostcode

      Thank you!

      https://www.loveyourpostcode.com

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  2. David Clark

    Care to share the cost with us, please?

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  3. AgencyInsider

    Good for him!

    Forget all the BS peddled about how to win business. People still buy people.

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  4. Property Paddy

    Just had to renew my passport, so the new photo of the “older” me isn’t quite as endearing as the much younger me.

    In fact “lurch” comes to mind.

    Pretty sure my face wont be on any billboards, unless were looking at scaring children !

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    1. PeeBee

      Sounds like you’re just like me, PP – when it comes to media, you have the perfect face for radio!

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  5. PeeBee

    Think I’d have dragged a comb through my hair before the photo shoot as a bare minimum…

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  6. Gotcha

    I’m sure he’s a nice enough lad! but he’s blown his credibility by saying he’s the number one for sales in blah blah blah. Unfortunately stats are all to easy to find on RM and ZPL these days and i’m afraid the facts are Mr Cooney is nowhere near number one in his area, not even close. What people do care about Paul is honesty!

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    1. LondonGirl30

      Horton’s two offices combined are number one in three postcodes for sales agreed (at least they were last year).

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  7. femaleNeg8804

    He said he “could” say he is number one, not that he is number one. Fact of the matter is he is quite rightly putting his brand out there, not putting letter through doors already on the market, why not chase new sellers instead of ones sitting on the market who get fed up of 20,000 letter through there door. If the only other form of brand awareness you have is boards and a high street office, then your missing the point… its thinking out side the box, not doing the same as everyone else

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  8. reasonable80

    This is a farce and poor journalism.  He rents a back office, up an alleyway off a nice road in the town and uses the Horton and Garton name who have a more established office along the road in Hammersmith.

    I am all for endeavour and entrepreneurship but this type of reporting gives a veneer of credibility to an agent who doesn’t operate to the same standards as the competition.

    For him to come out with outlandish comments  on service and being the best in West London etc is childish.  Without fact checking reviews across all the agents on various platforms like google and industry sites –  it’s also a poor reflection on this website to give him a free range mouthpiece to  make inaccurate comments.

     

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    1. PeeBee

      reasonable80.

      This is a report/publishing of a Press Release -one of countless numbers which are posted onto various platforms for the press to make of what they wish.

      This is the stuff that gets printed in the papers.  The stuff that, without EYE, you probably wouldn’t know ever existed.

      More of the “puffery” that the bloke states the public can’t tell from butter.

      Instead of having a go, perhaps you should instead post a ‘thank you’ to EYE for alerting you and the rest of us to this sort of stuff & nonsense?

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    2. LondonGirl30

      Turnham Green Terrace is an alleyway?! 

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  9. reasonable80

    Thanks for the reply Peebee good comments.    Londongirl I do reference an alleyway ‘off’ a nice road.  Just as bit of context here, the owner of Horton and Garton was in this publication complaining of exactly this type of hyped up agency a couple of weeks ago, yet here is one of his ‘directors’ performing it.

    The hypocrisy continues, initially the firm was Paul Cooney at Horton and Garton, the twitter handle is Paul Cooney Ltd, yet he operates now under Horton and Garton while leading with his name and image.

    I would suggest that everyone has a good look at their relationships given from the outside he has been able to have a cost effective introduction to the Chiswick market, doesn’t pay for a normal office, doesn’t pay for his branding, and then hey presto once he has accumulated his profits he will open his own firm with dare I say it a proper office.

    But good luck to everyone in their business and have a great weekend.

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  10. amriksohata

    I know Bobby Singh the owner of Love Your Postcode, he supports a movement called Khalistan, these guys are extremists and full of hate towards Indians.

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