'Never Become a Former New Yorker,' Warns StreetEasy

Because 'cul-de-sac' is just a fancy word for 'dead end'

Last year, StreetEasy, Zillow’s NYC real estate platform, compared home buying in NYC to drama found in Renaissance paintings. Now, the brand returns with a campaign urging first-time home buyers not to settle for a boring life in the ‘burbs.

“Never Become a Former New Yorker” shows city dwellers, now living in suburbia, with massive buyer’s remorse. There’s the couple eating “New York-style” pizza and the notion of a “cul-de-sac” as a fancy way of saying “dead end.” And as for what little grass you find in New York, it’s definitely greener. Plus, if you’re not a “Brooklyn Dad” you’re just a … dad. 

“We think of this year’s campaign as an evolution from last year. People tend to think about all of the things they’re gaining by leaving the city, like a driveway and a front porch, but they don’t often consider the things they’re losing as well,” says Andrea Mazandi, principal brand strategist at StreetEasy. “Our research found that 92% of people who have left the city feel some regret, and for the most part the things they miss are the little things, like their local bodega. Ultimately, we wanted to show people that being a New Yorker and being a homeowner are ideas that can be compatible.”

The campaign from the city-folk at Mother New York includes OOH, digital, audio, CTV and social media placements. There’s even a hotline former NYers can call when they feel homesick for one of the Boroughs. People can voice what they miss most at 1-833-I-MISS-NYC or press 2 to listen to sounds of NYC, (specifically, the Manhattan Bridge underpass near East Broadway.) Large-scale, hand-painted murals at N 11th St & Wythe Ave. in Williamsburg and SoHo will go up in April. 

Ads for the hotline will run on social media and Metro-North Railroad, targeting commuters in Westchester, the Hudson Valley and Connecticut. The free hotline is available through October.

“Leaving the city is complex and emotional and we knew from the former New Yorkers on our own team that this campaign would resonate in a really visceral way,” Mazandi tells Muse. “The ads are reaching both current and former New Yorkers, so we wanted to create something actionable, an outlet for people to engage with the campaign to share what they missed or just get nostalgic about the city.”