With over half of all UK estate and letting agents as members, the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) and the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) have for over 50 years been the go-to organisations within the property industry, including for the media and policy makers.
With their supporting organisation, the National Federation of Property Professionals (NFoPP), these membership associations have been successfully raising professional standards in the industry, implementing minimum qualifications for members and establishing schemes to protect clients and their money.
However, brand awareness of ARLA and NAEA among consumers was extremely low, and NFoPP identified the opportunity to create a more consumer-focused entity with a single, united voice.
With this in mind, Grain was invited to rebrand NFoPP and its subdivisions, repositioning it as a trusted and highly visible name with the potential to strengthen the industry’s reputation and to act as a consumer champion.
In addition to ARLA and NAEA, three further subdivisions — the National Association of Valuers and Auctioneers (NAVA), the Association of Professional Inventory Providers (APIP) and the Institution of Commercial and Business Agents (ICBA) — plus the NFoPP Awarding Body made up the overall existing brand architecture.
After analysing the brand landscape, and speaking and listening to members, stakeholders and consumers, Grain created the new brand strategy, the name and visual identity for Propertymark. Propertymark gives consumers a name they can trust and a clear message: if you choose a Propertymark agent, you can count on a regulated professional who will work in your best interests.
ARLA has become ARLA Propertymark; NAEA is NAEA Propertymark; NAVA is NAVA Propertymark. APIP is now known as ARLA Inventories, ICBA is NAEA Commercial and the independent Awarding Body is Propertymark Qualifications.
Following this initial rebranding stage, we embarked on an intense, four-month implementation which included:
Visual identity, including member logos, and stationery for all the subdivisions
Brand guidelines (132 pages)
Brand guidelines for members
Creating (including creative direction, casting, production and retouching) a 150-strong image bank with photographer Felix Clay
Website design
Extensive social media review, instructions for rebranding, and strategy for moving forward
Copywriting
Consumer profiles
Membership handbooks
Members’ materials: certificates and cards
A suite of consumer-facing leaflets
Press, outdoor and online advertising campaign planning, creative and management