They say an Englishman’s home is his castle, and perhaps that is why there is such interest in the property market. But how do we find a way to talk about house prices in a new, compelling and (dare we say) fun way?
That was the challenge facing the Barclays Mortgages team. So we decided to take things back to basics, calculating the value of a single brick (by using the average size and value of a house) in properties around the UK.
What’s more, to support our research we created the Barclays pop-up brick shop in Brixton (of course) and held a radio day with the very knowledgeably and absolutely delightful Sarah Beeny.
And the media hits came in thick and fast with 159 pieces of coverage secured, including pieces in Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, The Metro, City AM and Evening Standard.
But while many would stop there, the team were not yet content and saw an opportunity to take the story further. Using the regional data from the campaign, we calculated the value of the bricks making up the properties in our most loved TV soaps.
On hearing that EastEnders’ Dot Cotton could buy more than two properties in Coronation Street’s Weatherfield should she sell up in Albert Square, the media were quick to cover the story again. With some amazing pieces in The Daily Telegraph, The Sun and The i, the campaign now boasts 266 pieces of coverage to date.
