Inman

Century 21’s SimCity Facebook ads garner more awards

Sim City Social allowed players to build a Century 21 office building to earn game currency, helping the company build brand awareness.

Real estate franchisor Century 21 has bagged two more marketing awards for its “SimCity Social” Facebook advertising campaign.

The awards are the 2013 Hermes Creative Platinum Award, administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, and the 2013 Bronze Anvil Award, administered by the Public Relations Society of America.

The advertising campaign was previously recognized as a “Platinum Winner” in the AVA Awards contest, also administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.

“Our goal with our SimCity Social Facebook campaign was to connect with an important new audience — online gamers — in an innovative, engaging and relevant way,” said Bev Thorne, Century 21’s chief marketing officer, in a statement. “These awards acknowledge our commitment to providing our real estate professionals with unique opportunities to reach a new generation of homebuyers and sellers.”

Last fall, Century 21 arranged to have its brand integrated into SimCity Social, which enables gamers to build virtual cities. The integration, which lasted two weeks, enabled players to build a Century 21 office building to earn game currency and perform “friend or foe” actions on their neighbors’ Century 21 buildings. As part of the advertising campaign, users could also consult with a Century 21 agent, take open house cookies or watch an in-game branded ad to earn rewards.