The Zillow Group did not have an ad in the Super Bowl, but it may have come out of the weekend with the biggest marketing leap thanks to Saturday Night Live.
The Seattle real estate giant was the subject of a hilarious SNL sketch that scoffed at how navigating home through Zillow is a replacement for sex, especially for people in their 30s.
“The pleasure you once had with sex now comes from looking at other people’s homes,” was one of several lines worthy of LOL.
The YouTube clip has accumulated over 2 million views in one day. Zillow CEO Rich Barton joined the conversation on Sunday morning:
Wait. We have done marketing @zillow wrong all these years ??? #SNL https://t.co/sPpx4S5ohq
– Rich Barton (@Rich_Barton) February 7, 2021
Others said they felt “seen” by the skit.
OMG, THIS SKILL ZILLOW SNL IS VERY REAL, I CANNOT HANDLE IT
– Sara Mauskopf (@sm) February 7, 2021
We may be a divided country, but I think most of us can at least agree that Zillow’s sketch on SNL hit very close to home tonight …
– Joy WE VOTE !! USE A MASK !! Reid ????) (@JoyAnnReid) February 7, 2021
Zillow joined in the fun and tweeted to actor Dan Levy, who was part of the play.
Hey @danjlevy see you at home ????
– Zillow (@zillow) February 7, 2021
The New York Times in December also highlighted Zillow as part of a round offood, products and other activities that people resorted to in the midst of the pandemic. “There is no better way to channel your despair at having to stay at home than chasing someone else’s coolest home,” quipped the Times. He also highlighted “Zillow Surfing” in November.
“Zillow surfing has become a primary form of escapism for those who want to escape not only from their homes, but from the reality of 2020,” wrote Taylor Lorenz.
The pandemic is driving more traffic to Zillow’s mobile apps and websites, which reached a record 236 million unique monthly users on average in the third quarter of 2020, an increase of 21% year on year. Total visits reached 2.8 million, an increase of 32% and another record.
Zillow is also following an upward trend in homeowners, driven in part by record mortgage rates. The housing market recovered after stagnating when COVID-19 arrived in the US in March. The move to remote work is also giving people more flexibility where they live.
In a letter to shareholders in November, Barton said people are using Zillow more than ever, as the home becomes the office, the gym, the classroom and more amid the pandemic. He pointed to two favorable winds – a greater desire and ability to move, and more people using technology to find and buy their home – helping to drive Zillow’s growth.