Michael Wurzer Advertising is lame and information is the future, especially when it comes to real estate listings. Dave Winer (who I really love reading lately) puts it well:
“Advertising will get more and more targeted until it disappears, because perfectly targeted advertising is just information. And that’s good!”
Much of the controversies surrounding listing syndication centers on the concepts of advertising, i.e., who gets to advertise what listings and when and where they get to advertise them. Competitors will never agree on these issues. Period.
The solution to this conundrum, though, is in moving our thinking from advertising to information. How can we make listings information, instead of advertising? That’s a central question I’ll be pondering as I head off to Vegas for the NAR Convention. Hopefully I’ll see you there!
Update: Realonomics has an excellent post today on a similar vein: An All Carrot and No Stick Industry.