Corcoran's Mascot, Marcel, Is Trading Up

Marcel’s back—with a growing family in tow. The small French bulldog with a big personality is appearing in his second TV commercial for a brokerage to promote the company’s website and services.The effort is part of Corcoran’s multi-channel “Live Who You Are” advertising campaign.

The dog’s first online commercial appearance, in 2012, showed how Marcel used Corcoran’s newly redesigned site to find a pet-friendly place to live after his co-op board gave him the boot for doing what he does best: barking. The then-11-month-old puppy dug up several listings in his price range, including a $12.95 million estate on Cobb Isle Road in Water Mill as well as similarly swanky prospects in Palm Beach and Manhattan.

The commercial has garnered more than one million views on YouTube since it first aired.

The high level of engagement, number of video views and sheer affection the real estate industry showed toward the Frenchie was reason enough to revive him," said Lindsay Rapoport, Corcoran's director of digital media.

"We realized that Marcel wasn’t just a platform to launch a new website, but to share how the Corcoran family helps their clients 'live who they are' and find the home of their dreams—for all stages in life."

In this new edition, released on October 5, the 22-pound bulldog now has a family and is in search of a larger home to accommodate Lulu, who had been his girlfriend in the first video, and their new, adorable puppies. “Marcel knows just the humans to help them, Corcoran,” states a male whose voice intimates affluence. “They can match him with a perfect agent.”

The commercial continues by showing how the agent goes the “extra mile” and finds Marcel the perfect new home. “But he’s not the only one sniffing around,” the man says ominously.

A bidding war ensues. Yet “Marcel needn’t worry. A Corcoran agent will work around the clock to make sure your application is the first one the co-op board sees.”

Naturally, the board accepts Marcel’s application. The commercial ends with an agent helping the pooch and his family get settled in, which includes recommending an interior designer and a nanny.

“Only by getting to know who you are, can a Corcoran agent find you a place that lets you live who you are,” the man concludes.

The French bulldog belongs to Phyllis Elliot, a Brooklyn Heights senior associate at the brokerage. When the idea was first floated, company representatives wanted to demonstrate the process of someone looking for a home on their website in a clever way. They sent out an email to all Corcoran agents in search of a dog that could fit the bill, and Ms. Elliot answered the call.

The new commercial, which is 1 minute and 15 seconds long, was shot in two days in a loft in the Flatiron district. It is being promoted only online and through various social media outlets, including the company’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts. However, there may be a push for more traditional marketing channels in the future, as well as more videos.

"There is a huge opportunity to incorporate neighborhoods, consumer brands, consumers and even local businesses," said Ms. Rapoport. "And who knows…maybe Marcel will need a vacation home in the Hamptons, or in Palm Beach!"

To see the video, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvdKeoyxZ50.

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