The real estate industry is changing rapidly with the evolution of the Web. Home searching now begins with an online "infotainment" phase. Consumers spend months, even years, online looking at listings prior to that critical point where they enter the market. Innovation is playing a role not only in helping the consumer in the home buying and selling process, but also in allowing them to interact with a brand.

The consumer has choices - online players, limited and full service. But Coldwell Banker® believes it is best suited to meet the needs of the consumer. No one can match the brand's rich 101-year heritage, more than 120,000 sales associates in 41 countries and territories and award-winning 24-7 storefront at www.coldwellbanker.com. By mixing innovation with the sizeable and respected sales force, Coldwell Banker is redefining the consumer's real estate experience.

Coldwell Banker was the first national real estate firm to take advantage of the proliferation of broadband internet service to bring the consumer streaming videos online. Over the past year, the exclusive www.coldwellbanker.com video library has expanded to include segments produced by such national outlets as HGTV, Fine Living, Forbes and TurnHere. The videos have been viewed more than 300,000 times over the past year by an eager viewer audience.

As satellite mapping became a huge consumer phenomenon, Coldwell Banker worked with Microsoft to create a more useful real estate mapping experience. Not only are homes visible via a satellite birds eye view, but Coldwell Banker became the first national brand to allow consumers to learn through a mapping feature where a particular home sits in relation to such local amenities as restaurants, schools, parks, shops, hospitals, etc.

Coldwell Banker then became the first national real estate brand to utilize widget technology and RSS feeds when it launched the enhanced Coldwell Banker Personal Retriever®. This application automatically delivers updated daily listings that match a consumer's search criteria right to their computer desktop without the need of launching an internet browser.

Coldwell Banker also recognized that the coming real estate consumer, the 74 million echo boomer generation, does not view innovation the same way as their parents do. To this group, innovation is not change. Instead it is a simple way of life. The way they communicate, work and play is drastically different from previous generations. Marketers are searching for ways to connect with this audience and learning to engage them differently than through traditional marketing means.

Enter Second Life.

Coldwell Banker became the first national real estate company to sell homes within the 3-D virtual community of more than seven million users. Offering houses in a variety of architectural styles and the ability to tour neighborhoods with a real estate professional, Coldwell Banker reinforced its mission to ensure that everyone can achieve the dream of homeownership, whether on Main Street or in the metaverse. The results, besides tremendous public relations value, have been impressive. Click through rates from Second Life to www.coldwellbanker.com average 2.1% compared to the 0.13% industry standard that traditional online banner ads yield. The Coldwell Banker headquarters has had more than 90,000 visitors since launching in March and they stay and average of more than eight minutes interacting with the brand.