‘Is this Purplebricks advert misleading or is it clever marketing?’ Property journalist Christopher Watkin has posed the question on his LinkedIn account.
Watkin is referring to a Purplebricks advert currently circulating on social media, which claims that 1,094 homes have been sold in and around Axminster in Devon.
But according to the Land Registry, 184 properties have sold in the EX13 postcode, which includes Axminster, in the last 12 months, and 1,306 homes in the last five years.
“EX13 being Axminster and it’s local Axminster villages, which to me as a reasonable member of the public is ‘in and around Axminster’ as per the advert.”
According to Watkin, Purplebricks has only completed on five properties in the EX14 postcode over the past 12 months.
He explained: “Purplebricks appear on my records to have listed four [properties] in the EX14 postcode in 2021 and completed on five in the last 12 months.
“I haven’t looked at the last five years – yet let’s assume they did the same each year – that’s 25 properties in five years – still some distance from the four-figure number mentioned in the advert.”
Watkin, seeking greater clarity, continued: “Does this advert imply Purplebricks sold all the 1,094 properties in and around Axminster? And what time scale? Or could they mean Devon?
“I mean, if it was Devon, the postcode that covers the vast majority of Devon is the EX postcode.
“I looked at the whole EX postcode – Purplebricks listed, according to my reckoning, 220 properties in the last 12 months – so again not sure where the four figure is coming from.”
Watkin points out that there are more than 800 regional adverts, covering the UK, with “this style of advert”.
A spokesperson for Purplebricks was keen yesterday to clear up any ambiguity.
“These adverts share the total number of properties Purplebricks has sold [sale completed] in the stated postcode area, since we started operating in that area [2014],” the spokesperson told EYE.
However, Watkin questions whether the EX postcode constitutes ‘in and around Axminster’.
The EX postcode includes Exeter, Barnstaple, Axminster, Beaworthy, Bideford, Braunton, Budleigh Salterton, Chulmleigh, Colyton, Crediton, Cullompton, Dawlish, Exmouth, Holsworthy, Honiton, Ilfracombe, Lynmouth, Lynton, North Tawton, Okehampton, Ottery St Mary, Seaton, Sidmouth, Sidford, Sidbury, South Molton, Tiverton, Torrington, Umberleigh, Winkleigh and Woolacombe), plus the northernmost part of Cornwall (including Bude).
Reflecting on the Purplebricks advert, Paul Offley, compliance officer at nurtur.group, parent company of The Guild of Property Professionals, shared his thoughts.
Offley told EYE: “It is obviously important that firms are able to promote their business as part of their marketing strategy, however, there are some key points to consider, such as the fact that an advertiser must be able to provide evidence to support any claims being made, especially in relation to houses sold and time periods.
“Also, the advertisement must not be misleading for consumers. Anyone who has any concerns over any advertisement should contact their local authority trading standards office.”
Comments (10)
Facebook marketing is not very effective at reaching the selling public ( based on like for like traffic monitored from the portals, direct from CRM, Google, the agents own website, person to person sharing and social media) where Rightmove pulls in 70% of views, Facebook, Twitter etc all combined together isn’t grabbing 0.5% of audience attention
We as an industry can get riled up by vexatious marketing but the truth is very few people will see or notice the claim and of those who do most will know someone who has tried selling with a passive intermediary and failed
Rather than this cause an ulcer I’d turn it round and point out for 1094 properties sold in the whole of Devon and North Cornwall (Bude is Kernish ) in the past 8 years (not very many is it?) 1009** people who listed with them haven’t sold and at £999 a time have blown over £1m to list but not sell. We’re back to the flip of a coin gamble.
** Jefferies analysis of listing to sold ratio
for reference there have been 95,639 qualifying residential transactions in all EX postcodes since 2014
1094/95,639 represents is 1.14% of all qualifying transactions
Not sure what surprises anyone about this. Very typical of PB.
First and foremost, it is NOT clever advertising. It is misleading and deliberately opaque. It’s not witty, funny, quirky, enlightening, educational or informative. Although, I must say PB are providing much needed mirth in uncertain times, as at least you can guarantee to be entertained by their capacity to stretch truth. What’s sad is that in their apparent death throes, they are, like Putin, prepared to lay waste to the hopes and dreams of innocent people; their clients, who can’t see past the propaganda. No doubt we’ll see an ad soon saying how they’ve either: 1. Banned Russians from listing their homes or 2. How they achieved a record price for selling Abramovich’s London pad.
Well it’s just a lie isn’t it!! If I asked someone to recommend a restaurant in or around Axminster and they suggested a nice place in Bude, I would never ask them for any advice on anything again.
It clearly implies the PB chap has sold those properties and offers no context in terms of what is considered ‘around Axminster’ or over what timescale. No mention of whether the fee includes VAT or not either. These ads have been all over facebook, so clearly a head office initiative rather than a local one. Axminster’s Mr Dunford can expect a carpeting.
The other and equally misleading point is the implication that the named agent has sold that number of properties.
in writing at the top of the advert, as bold as you like “1,094 properties sold in and around Axminster”
Yet in writing so small an electron microscope would have difficulty picking it up, it says the number of sales in the whole of the EX postcode since 2014 that purplebricks are sold
The question I was asking related to ‘in and around Axminster’ –
Would a reasonable person think that ‘in and around Axminster’ would include towns which are 89 miles to the west of Axminster?
(Because Axminster is in the EX postcode area and on the far eastern side of the EX postcode area, yet towns such as Bude are on the far western side of the EX postcode – and that is 89 miles away)
Thoughts anyone?
Has anyone reported PB to the ASA?
exactly what i was going to say!