Corcoran Launches Annie Leibovitz Ad Campaign

Last week, on September 2, The Corcoran Group upped their marketing game in a big, bold way with the release of a new campaign featuring pictures by famed portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz.

The campaign marks the fourth iteration of Corcoran’s “Live Who You Are” series, which began in 2006 and continued through 2012 before reaching this newest and most buzz-worthy evolution. While the core message remains focused on showing the intimate connection between people and their homes, Leibovitz’s photography and the inclusion of well-known, talented individuals in her pictures takes the original concept to a whole new level.

Past “Live Who You Are” ads—shot by noted photographers Tina Barney (Series 1) and Stefan Anderson (Series 2, 3)—used black and white photographs of people in their homes, coupled with commonly known real estate catchphrases. The Leibovitz campaign is in full color and doubles down on the talent with portrait photography’s top dog and 12 well known subjects, including rocker Jimmy Buffett, basketball star Tyson Chandler and pro surfer Quincy Davis among them, in their homes throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Hamptons and Palm Beach (the markets Corcoran serves).

“Our ‘live who you are’ philosophy is just as relevant today as it was back in 2006,” Christina Lowris-Panos, Chief Marketing Officer of The Corcoran Group, says, adding, “Buying a home is an emotional decision as it is often the truest reflection of who you are.” Lowris-Panos describes Leibovitz as a seasoned pro who knows exactly how to bring her subjects’ personality and passions to life. “She has a magical ability to uncover what makes people tick,” Lowris-Panos says of the photographer. “Her work with the twelve subjects in this campaign has made the notion of ‘live who you are’ more tangible and authentic than ever.”

Corcoran President and CEO, Pamela Liebman, adds, “Annie Leibovitz is the preeminent documentarian of our day. For her to lend her experience and skill to Corcoran and our campaign is a very powerful gift. People will look forward to seeing each of the 12 sensational portraits as we unfold them over the next few months. ”

Along with Buffett in Palm Beach, Chandler with his family on NYC’s Upper East Side, and Quincy in Montauk, Leibovitz photographed artist Michele Oka Doner in her Soho apartment; Milk Bar owner Christina Tosi in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; the Topping family and their horses in Sagaponack; ballet soloist Misty Copeland in her Upper West Side living room; literary lions Andrew Solomon and John Habich Solomon, and their son, in Greenwich Village; hOmE founders and brothers Evan and Oliver Haslegrave in Greenpoint, Brooklyn; landscape architect Mario Nievera in his Palm Beach pool; interior designers Mara Miller and Jesse Carrier (and family) in NYC; and restaurateurs Francesca and Hans Pauli (of Sant Ambreus) in Southampton.

The campaign, which has a budget estimated at the “mid-seven-figure level” through December, will appear across a full complement of advertising and marketing platforms, and will continue throughout 2015 (next year’s plan is currently under development).

Along with the new campaign, Corcoran is also launching a “Live Who You Are” photography contest to win a three-night stay for two at the NoMad hotel in New York. The contest asks participants to take a selfie in their home that depicts how their living environment reflects their interests and lifestyle.  A custom app on the Corcoran Facebook page will enable users to upload the photo from their phone or computer, creating a layout and headline that mimics the style of the Corcoran ads. The submission that best captures the spirit of the ‘Live Who You Are’ campaign will win the hotel stay as well as a chance to be featured in the new campaign, alongside the images created by Annie Leibovitz.