Century 21 is a veteran in the real estate business, having been founded in 1971. But on Feb. 5 the company will be a rookie when it airs its first Super Bowl commercial.

Century 21, one of the world’s largest real estate firms with about 120,000 employees in more than 73 countries, will be on the roster that day along with Super Bowl veterans such as Bridgestone, Anheuser-Busch and PepsiCo.

The media buy is actually broad-reaching in nature. It includes a spot during the third quarter of the game, as well as 11 30-second slots during the pre-game events and a sponsorship of the 3:30 PM -4:00 PM pre-game show, all on NBC.

Commercials from the company’s “Smarter. Bolder. Faster” campaign, which launched last year, are expected to fill the pre-game spots. Century 21 has been teasing its Super Bowl spot with an online campaign, “Operation: C21 Super Bowl,” in which a guy from the marketing department, Steve Daingerfield, who apparently has been left out of Super Bowl creative meetings, tries to uncover details for the ad scheduled to run during the game.

Although the company did not divulge the total spend of its Super Bowl XLVI buy, 30-second in-game spots were going for upward of $3.5 million and pre-game 30-second spots in the $400,000-$800,000 range, according to industry analysts. However, companies with multiple buys, such as Century 21, generally receive a package rate on their total purchase.

Lead agency for Century 21′s “Smarter, Bolder, Faster” campaign is Red Tettemer & Partners, Philadelphia.

Big Lead Sports spoke with Beverly Thorne, who has been CMO for Parsippany, NJ-based Century 21 since 2007, about the pros and cons of adverting home buying and selling during the Super Bowl, which Thorne hinted would lead to more sports-related media buys in 2012 during such key events as March Madness and the Summer Olympics.

Big Lead Sports: How long has Century 21’s Super Bowl XLVI strategy been planned?

Beverly Thorne: We began to ponder this in 2010. And at this point a year ago we were well-entrenched in finalizing our strategy. The strategy that we laid out was part of a two-year program, so it encompassed 2011 and 2012. Last year, 2011, was a milestone year for Century 21. It was our 40th anniversary. So we saw the Super Bowl both as a great culmination to that year-long celebration and also as a kickoff into 2012 and the new economy as we move forward . . . We strongly believe in the value of home ownership and it’s clear to us that American consumers believe in the value of home ownership. We think it is an important time to signal our confidence in that.

BLS: Was it Super Bowl XLIV in Miami in 2010 that inspired the company to get involved with that two-year strategy or was the 40th anniversary more of a catalyst?

BT: I would say the 40th anniversary was the driving factor. At the time we solidified our interest in Super Bowl XLVI, it was before the terrific and successful Super Bowl XLV [at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas with more than 100,000 in attendance and an all-time TV record with an average viewership of 111 million]. In the annals of the Super Bowl, that game was a highlight. No doubt it was absolutely an uptick. And the NFL in general continues on the uptick. But that is just like Century 21 within the real estate industry. We are running parallel in many ways.

BLS: Will Century 21 use the Super Bowl exposure to continue its sports-related marketing strategy in 2012?

BT: We have some great plans for 2012. We have some very exciting ideas and plans. If I tell you that we should talk in March, it might not be too hard to figure out what some of those plans might be.

BLS: Are you talking about March Madness?

BT: There always is an opportunity to get ‘mad in March.’

BLS: NBC is televising Super Bowl XLVI and the Summer Olympics in London, so are you doing a package deal where Century 21 will run ads during both events?

BT: There always is reason to get excited about an event that happens only once every four years [Summer Games] or make that every two years [including the Winter Games]. There will definitely be more about that after the Super Bowl.

BLS: When Century 21 was considering its Super Bowl strategy, did you consult with marketing executives from other companies that have had experience with Super Bowl media buys as to whether or not that was a successful move and whether or not it had a significant impact?

BT: That’s an interesting question, and I have to separate that temporally into pre- and post-Super Bowl decision. Prior to making the decision, no, I did not talk with others in terms of understanding the ROI. I spoke with them to understand the implications of it, of what it meant financially. I firmly believe that we are in the best position to know our company, our industry and our role within it. So I did a lot of research and read a lot about it, but I didn’t speak with other people until after we actually made our decision. I then had those conversations to affirm my understanding or correct it before we made the actual buy.

BLS: What was the response you received from the people with whom you spoke?

BT: Everyone has different decision-making criteria and everyone makes their decisions in a different company context. So even those people I spoke with who said it didn’t work for them, when they told me why, that was key for me. It actually ratified why it was an appropriate decision for us. It reinforced  that we were in that same position. One company in particular, whose name I won’t share, told me why it was a great success for them, but also taught me some cautionary things and things to be mindful of. Because I didn’t view what they were calling success as a success. So I received interesting information from all parameters.

BLS: You’ve revealed that the Century 21 commercial will run during the third quarter, which can be a strong period or a soft one depending on the score and other factors. What was the strategy behind that decision?

BT: NBC has their own algorithms [on placement of ads], but we were not driven by that algorithm. We made our Super Bowl buy early enough so that we had a choice as to where we wanted our commercial to be. We were grappling between the first quarter and the third quarter. To be honest, I could talk just about the quarter selection for about an hour and a half. There are positives and negatives to both. We realized we might be taking a chance in the third quarter if the game is a blowout and people might tune out. But there also is a very strong school of thought that says if it is a blowout, people are relaxing, socializing and really being attentive to the commercials. We decided on the third quarter and we still feel very good about that. But I don’t think it’s going to be a blowout. My [Green Bay] Packers will be winning, though. [Laughs.]

BLS: I wasn’t going to put you on the spot to predict a Super Bowl winner. But since you brought it up, how much did the Packers’ victory in Super Bowl XLV influence your decision to buy so much time before and during Super Bowl XLVI?

BT: [Laughs.] The Super Bowl win and then their record this past season . . . was that amazing or what!? But, again, it was our 40th anniversary and the plans around that which truly motivated us. The Packers’ win, for me, was a bonus.

BLS: How much can you reveal about your Super Bowl spot?

BT: I won’t reveal the creative yet. We will reveal it probably during the week before the game. The first people we will share it with will be our system members. But we will be sharing it in the market the week before the game. I can tell you that the creative focuses heavily on the power, strength and knowledge of our agents, who are smarter, bolder, faster.

BLS: When putting a Super Bowl ad together, is the challenge to be creative, funny, strengthen the brand and the company’s image, stand out from the pack, or a combination?

BT: My objective, clearly, because this is the Super Bowl, is to be impactful. People have asked me, ‘Don’t you want your commercial to be entertaining?’ But when you say ‘entertaining,’ think of the ‘Mean’ Joe Green ad [for Coca-Cola, which aired during Super Bowl XIV in 1980]. That wasn’t entertaining as far as being laugh-out loud and funny. But it was impactful, wasn’t it? So I would tell you that our criteria is to be impactful. And you have to realize that you have to be careful when you are talking about home ownership in 2011, 2012. That’s a painful topic for a lot of people. We want to position our agents front and center. It’s all about our agents. It’s our agents who are delivering tremendous capabilities to home owners in this very complicated buying time. And we want to extend our national ad campaign theme, that our agent is ‘Smarter. Bolder. Faster.’ So if with this ad we can achieve being impactful and entertaining and position my agents as being smarter, bolder, faster, I will be very happy.

BLS: Any jitters because you are a rookie going in alongside some seasoned Super Bowl veterans?

BT: Of course I have jitters. But my jitters are that I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to position my agents well and to deliver, to hit it out of the ball park for my agents.

BLS: This is football. Can we use a football metaphor?

BT: [Laughs.] Okay. I want to be able to do a Lambeau Leap for my agents. And when it’s over, I don’t want to have to punt.

BLS: That covers it. Looking ahead after the game, the next day, the weeks after, what would be, for you, a good result from Century 21′s presence during Super Bowl XLVI?

BT: Let’s understand this medium and what its use is. For us, it’s not a lead-generating advertising opportunity as you would have with an online company. With a TV commercial, you may convince someone to buy a pair of shoes. We are not here to convince someone to purchase a home. The reason we are in the Super Bowl is to clarify or reinforce people’s perception of the brand. And to help make sure they understand that if a home purchase or sale is appropriate for them, we want to position front and center for them the capabilities of the Century 21 agent as being smarter, bolder, faster in this very difficult economy and time to purchase a home. So our objective is to raise the brand awareness and increase the brand preference for those consumers who are in the market.

BLS: What does the home ownership market look like this year?

BT: There will be approximately five million transactions taking place nationwide in 2012. That’s down from the big years, but in this economy, that is a good number. This is the most important financial and emotional investment for many people if not in their lifetime at least in a five-to-seven year time period. We think it is extremely important for those people who are considering it or will be considering it in the next 24 months that they be familiar and aware of the capabilities of the Century 21 agent.

BLS: What about Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013?

BT: [Laughs.] I’m focused on Super Bowl XLVI in February 2012? We can talk about that game [in 2013] after this game.

BLS: One last opportunity to share your Super Bowl creative: Any dogs, celebrities . . . ?

BT: [Laughs.] You are still asking me for secrets. In Marketing 101, they say that sex and babies are very appealing in ads. But we are a very conservative American brand so we are not following that rule. Let’s just say that there are some very compelling and intriguing items and characters that will appear in our ad. And that our agents will be front and center.

PHOTO: Aaron Rodgers: Robin Alam/Icon SMI

Big Lead Sports coverage of Super Bowl XLVI continues here.