Agents by Brooke
AGENT REFERRAL AGENCY
Revolutionising a sketchy industry with a trustworthy brand.
Revolutionising a sketchy industry with a trustworthy brand.
Brand strategy
Creative direction
Visual identity
Marketing materials
Web design & development
When you set out to protect first-time home buyers and sellers in an industry that’s notoriously sketchy and untransparent, you need an easy-to-understand brand that builds trust. That’s exactly what Agents by Brooke challenged us to achieve. From the foundational strategy through the brand voice to the website and marketing materials, we built out Agents by Brooke to reflect their innovative approach to agent matchmaking through an approachable lens - with a rebellious undertone.
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After witnessing first hand a friend being mistreated by a toxic real estate agent (whose marketing was better than their ability to serve their clients), founder Brooke decided it was time to make a change. Agents by Brooke was born as an agent-matching service that pairs young buyers with vetted, experienced agents who will take care of them every step of the way. But beyond matchmaking, Agents by Brooke is also committed to giving everyone the resources they need to be informed and comfortable with the buying or selling process. The ultimate goal is to bring transparency back into the real estate industry.
Referral agencies exist but they commonly treat clients as faceless leads and have biased relationships with agents. Instead of properly pre-qualifying their agents and accurately matching them to buyers and sellers, they earn their money by selling leads information. So how is Agents by Brooke different? Simply put, the perfect match isn’t just promised but guaranteed because of how the business is built: both the agent and Agents by Brooke don’t get paid until the buyer purchases their dream home with the support of their dream agent.
When Brooke approached us, her online presence was limited to Instagram and didn’t communicate her unique value and service. Changing the focus of her work after being a real estate agent for almost 8 years resulted in an acute need for more clarity in terms of positioning on top of a new look. More than a simple rebrand, this project was a complete (re)build from the ground up.
The main goal with the visual identity was to differentiate Agents by Brooke from the traditional real estate and referral agencies that value profitability over genuine care and compassion. Instead of relying on the stereotypical “professional” look defined by blues, whites, minimalistic layouts, simple headshots and cliché happy family photos, we pushed the boundaries of what a brand in the real estate industry looks like.
Feminine colours, expressive patterns, and bold typography give Agents by Brooke an empowering appearance that resonates with the target audience on an emotional level. The playfulness also comes through in the icons and some of the imagery which is an effective solution to retain friendliness when bringing across serious messages about serious topics.
Real estate can be boring and overwhelming but in line with the brand’s mission, we wanted to make it feel fun and easy to understand. So despite being creatively layered, the identity overall is simple.
In collaboration with copywriter Kori Whitby we gave Agents by Brooke a powerful tone of voice. Above all, it’s a voice of inclusion that doesn’t discriminate against anyone. A voice that oozes expertise without sounding demeaning. A voice that’s a bit rebellious in exposing industry secrets and one that welcomes everyone into the conversation through kindness. The outcome is twofold: further distinction in the stuffy industry and trust from the audience.
With so much confusion about real estate Agents by Brooke needed a one-stop place to direct people to for all the answers to their questions. And there were a lot of them.
We know that attention spans are inherently low these days so we had to do everything in our power to keep website visitors engaged. Our solution: We made use of effective interactions wherever possible to create small moments of joy. To take more advantage of the novelty effect, we also employed a variety of layouts and a mix of the on-brand colours. Lastly, we strategically used brand imagery to break up the copy into more digestible blocks.
On top of the sheer amount of information, we had the challenge of talking to two distinct audiences: home buyers/sellers and agents that wanted to join the revolution.
This prompted the need for three main actions on the website: 1) book a coffee chat to get matched with the right agent (targeted towards buyers/sellers), 2) join the referral list (targeted towards agents), 3) download the educational freebie (targeted towards both audiences).
To better separate the needs of each group, we decided to dedicate a page to each. This has the pleasant effect that buyers/sellers get a transparent insight into what Agents by Brooke is really asking of agents.
In line with the rest of the rollout, we decided once again to go against the norm. When your clients prefer to have a skate ramp in their living room instead of a TV, that’s the way to go, right? So more than just a place for cold-hard-facts, the website we created is a display of Brooke’s personality and values. Some of the unique elements we incorporated are an embedded Spotify playlist and a gallery of pets that Brooke has fostered.
We’re super honoured that founder Brooke entrusted us with bringing her vision to life. Through our close collaboration, we managed to create a brand that's conveying visually and verbally what Agents by Brooke is all about: Empowerment, inclusivity, and approachability.
In the words of Brooke Simon, founder of Agents by Brooke:
"If you’re looking for a brand and web design studio that can visually encapsulate what your business’ purpose and mission is, Bitemark is the studio for you. They can grab any creative idea and run with it.
You can tell they aren't living in an echo chamber, and are truly creating one-of-a-kind design work with thoughtfully designed brands that are unique to their individual missions.
While the work was not easy, Bitemark has been incredibly comforting to work with and delivered everything on time to the highest standards. If I ever had a concern, they would address it immediately and take extra time to understand what this issue was and get to the core of what we needed to modify, which is essential when you’re working on a full-scope project where each step is foundational to the final result".
Brand writer
Kori Whitby
Brand photographer
Three Region Photography
