As the battle between Zillow, Compass and MRED plays out in court, both sides have launched an all-out marketing blitz aimed at convincing agents, brokers and consumers who is to blame for the disappearance of Chicagoland listings from Zillow.
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The fight since MRED pulled the plug on Zillow’s listing feed early Wednesday morning has spilled over into paid Instagram ads, LinkedIn comment threads and brokerage marketing channels. And now, Compass says it’s preparing to take its message to physical billboards in Chicago.
In a post unveiling the effort, Compass CEO Robert Reffkin revealed a handful of billboard renderings with the message “Zillow doesn’t have all the listings” and asked agents where the company should place them. A Compass spokesperson confirmed to Inman that the company is preparing to run billboards in Chicago, though they did not provide specifics on placement.
Robert Reffkin’s Instagram post announcing Compass’ Chicago billboard campaign.
In the comments, Compass allies suggested locations ranging from Chicago expressways and major sports arenas to the National Association of Realtors’ front door on Michigan Avenue.
Meanwhile, Zillow has been running paid ads on Instagram, telling agents that “MRED cut our access to your listings” while promoting its “BeOnZillow” direct-feed program for brokers who want to send listings directly to Zillow. Compass has launched its own paid-ad blitz arguing that “Zillow can’t show you what it doesn’t have,” while promoting its website.
Compass-controlled brands @properties | Christie’s International Real Estate, Coldwell Banker Realty and Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty have joined the messaging push, with each posting variations of the message that consumers may not find all available Chicago-area homes on Zillow.
The dispute has also made its way onto LinkedIn, where Zillow and Compass executives and corporate communications staff have been responding directly to posts and pushing the issue to an audience outside of the real estate industry.
Errol Samuelson, Zillow’s chief industry development officer, has responded directly to posts, arguing that Zillow had “not suppressed a single listing in Chicagoland,” and adding that the whole debacle was over Zillow’s decision not to show nine Compass listings in Florida, Georgia and California.
Reffkin, meanwhile, has argued that Zillow’s feed was pulled because the portal filtered listings by agent or brokerage name, pointing to NAR’s non-filtering policy, while also sharing screenshots of national mainstream media coverage and arguing that “the consumer everywhere will know they can’t find all the home listings on Zillow anymore.”
Redfin has also confirmed to Inman that it plans to launch a targeted marketing blitz in Chicago as well, highlighting that consumers can search and find all available listings on its platform. Rocket-owned Redfin began a listing partnership with Compass earlier this year.
An example of a targeted ad that Redfin plans to run in Chicago.
“This fully integrated marketing campaign invites buyers to compare Redfin against any other site,” Rocket CMO Jonathan Mildenhall said over email. “With complete MLS inventory, plus the exclusive launch of ‘Redfin Early Access’ listings that buyers cannot find on any other major site, we are confident that Redfin will become the preferred site for homebuyers in Chicago.”
Zillow sought emergency relief in court Friday morning, asking a judge to intervene after MRED shut off the portal’s access to Chicagoland listings. The court fight could still change the facts on the ground quickly, particularly if Zillow wins emergency relief requiring MRED to restore its feed.
But regardless of the outcome in court, the advertising blitz has heightened the stakes and pushed what might otherwise have been an industry dispute into the court of public opinion and consumer trust.
Update: After publishing this story, a Zillow spokesperson confirmed to Inman that a federal judge ordered MRED to restore Zillow’s access to listings that originate in the MLS.
Reporter Taylor Anderson contributed to this report.
