There is always a certain pleasure in seeing someone do a face plant into a cake. ‘Ah’, says the advertising voiceover that follows, ‘commisery: the misery you feel when you spent thousands on commission but got nothing more for your money’.
What a fabulously simple idea Commisery is. Anyone who has sold an apartment or house the traditional way knows that particular pain (‘What are those suspiciously charming people in suits really doing for all that money I am giving them?’); we’ve just never had a name for it – or, indeed, a cake so conveniently to hand.
There’s much to like about the way that Purplebricks, the challenger that is changing the agenda in house sales, has gone about its business as a brand.
On a mission to change the category for the better? Check. “{We believe} that there is a lack of trust and transparency within the real estate industry”, commented Eric Eckhardt, the US CEO, last year. “Our mission is to break down those barriers by providing a simpler and more convenient way for buyers and sellers to conduct business while saving them thousands of dollars in the process.”
Disruptive business model? Check. Purplebricks offers to sell your home for less than a third of the price of a traditional estate agent, combining an online platform with people on the ground.
Amplifying its differences and changing the criteria for choice in its favour? Check: Commisery, dammit.
Growth? Revenues were up 118% in the UK to £40m last year, with a 74% share of the online market, and Australia grew to £6.8m)
