A group of eight agents have placed an advert in their local newspaper this morning, telling consumers about OnTheMarket.
The advert appears in the Grimsby Telegraph today, and is booked for eight weeks.
It tells readers: “OnTheMarket.com has more local properties for sale than Zoopla.”
The agents, all in north-east Lincolnshire, are Argyle, Bettles Miles & Holland, Canters, Crofts, DDM Residential, Joy Walker, Jackson Green & Preston, and Pygott Crone.
Gary Croft, of Crofts, told EYE: “I think the figures in the ad show and prove what agent power can do when they are able to set their differences aside and put their heads together.
“Crofts estate agents were very proactive in gathering the local agents together to effectively and collectively take our property stock out of one shop window (Zoopla) and put it in another (OnTheMarket).
“The result has been that it hasn’t affected any of businesses just controlled our payments.
“It has however temporarily strengthened Rightmove’s position until we maybe feel brave again!”
Comments (20)
Well done. Good to see some leadership in trying to break the RM Zoopla gravy train duopoly.
Of course the big corporates with shares in the duopoly and paying a fraction of what the small independents pay wont like it.
Hopefully us small independents can get enough momentum to give RM a ****** nose. No one has heard of Zoopla in our part of the country anyway.
It is clear to see how Agents feel about R & Z. When have agents ever come together to do anything ? I applaud those agents trying to both protect their future business and ensure that the way forward is OTM.
In response to those that fear change comments…I am also hoping that change is around the corner, already dropped Z and cannot wait to drop R !
As Property Paddy has already mentioned – around 75% of my fees going straight into the profit of R and generally for only a few more leads than OTM are currently generating for me.
I think many contributors to this site are fearful of what may happen when(not if) the tide turns and OTM move towards being the number one portal – otherwise, why would they be so negative ?
Is your website on google ? they have a 90% profit margin …Do you use an apple phone … 80% profit margin …I coulld on , you use services that are valuable to your business ….their profit margin shouldnt trouble you , spend more time worrying about things that affect you ….
Rightmove increased its profit margin to 75.1% last year, up from 74.5% in 2014, it announced this morning.
As per previous story
To be fair this highlights why agents are trying to beat down their marketing costs.
By leaving their biggest competitor and making them stronger.
How would you suggest I reduce my energy bills – leave the heating on overnight with the windows open?
A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject
That would be YOU, then…
Let me get this straight – and please someone correct me if I’ve misunderstood – OnTheMarket’s brand awareness and marketing reach is so poor that member agents are having to club together and pay for newspaper adverts to promote the portal?… I don’t see Rightmove or Zoopla agents taking out ads in the local paper to promote the portals that they already pay an arm and a leg for…
You are right, RM and Z made their name over night without the help of Estate Agents! doh! Are you PropertyyWatcher of the last 12 months or PropertyyWatcher of at least 16 years?
RM and Z have gone past the stage of needing this, but trust me agents were used heavily in years gone by but none of us INCLUDING ME realised what we were creating! Whilst the train was gathering speed, none of us realised we needed to jump off before it was going too fast.
But for the record, look at 100 adverts in the paper and 100 agent websites and I bet 50% plus if not more will have a “RM” logo somewhere!!!
Something similar has been done in South Wales for the last few weeks but using Rightmove stats (Zoopla are the prefered second choice portal for the OTM agents here), and, for the first time ever, Rightmove themselves have this week taken a full page advert in the paper.
They have obviously thought it was damaging for them to retaliate in such a way…
LMAO!
Same names… same MDT.
Oh for something original!
Dinosaurs!
Hold on a minute…… bit rude innit this harry? I mean….. likening these business to Dinosaurs just because you don’t think print media and their use of it to support OTM is good!
This is the thing with you and some of the Anti-brigade – Very similar to the HPC Nut Brigade Class of 2009 to 2011 – Hopping from story to story forgetting they were saying “don’t be rude” in one post and then “name calling themselves” in another.
Is there such a thing as a numptysorous? (smile, I’m avin a larf wiv ya)
Lol. This is what I mean. These kind of Agents that have opted for their ridiculous mini revolution to ‘On The Market’ are the same agents that still believe in newspaper advertising and don’t know what www stands for.
What a complete waste of money! Mind you it’s not surprising they still believe in newspaper advertising after all they bought in to the whole OTM thing ……. “We fear change!”
“…it’s not surprising they still believe in newspaper advertising…”
Crazy, innit. You’d never find eMoov on the front page of The Telegraph or anything so ridiculous as that.
Oh, wait a minute…
Muppet.
Should read:
“8 local agents club together to promote Zoopla”
Luckily the Grimsby Chronicle has about 19 readers, most of which will see out their days in Grimsby Pines Lodge.
“If that’s the case I will immediately put this paper down and go online looking for property. I’d imagine the Grimsby gazette has a lower circulation than the property numbers on Zoopla ….
hahaha – danny giving the Grimsby Gazette some stick on behalf of Z!…… I hope they are paying you well danny? Any less that £960 per hour though and I wouldn’t get out of bed ;0)