Amid sweeping changes across the real estate industry, Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors selected &Barr to be their agency partner in an effort to reinforce the essential role of Realtors in the home buying and selling journey. What began as a focused PR effort to amplify a single campaign evolved into a powerful, ongoing partnership that has thrived for over four years.
Only a Realtor Was Just The Beginning
Real estate was at a pivotal point. What started as a campaign coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic evolved as transformative legal rulings and shifting consumer sentiment called into question the role of REALTORS® in the homebuying and selling process. To protect the reputation and relevance of REALTORS across South Florida, the association needed more than visibility. Their members needed a unified voice through a bold campaign that could capture the moment with clarity, emotion, and credibility.
The “Only a REALTOR®” campaign was born. Grounded in primary research and authentic storytelling, the campaign positioned REALTORS® as indispensable advisors who protect their clients’ biggest financial decisions, simplify complexity, and deliver better outcomes. Building on the campaign’s success, &Barr’s public relations team provided strategic alignment across all communication touchpoints. This included developing internal and external messaging for upcoming commercials, positioning the CEO and Presidents as thought leaders in both industry and consumer media, and partnering closely with Government Affairs to proactively develop accurate/timely messaging well beyond the life of the campaign.
Strategy That Starts From Within
&Barr implemented a fully integrated communications plan utilizing three key strategies, Media Relations, Internal Communications, and Executive Communications. These efforts were in addition to the agency’s full-service capabilities, including creative, production, and offline and online media planning and buying.
Executive Communications were used to craft internal-and external-facing messages from the CEO and President with a tone and voice authentic to each leader. These communications started by reinforcing campaign objectives and maintaining a consistent message with key stakeholders, including staff, members, and industry leaders. The strategy evolved after the campaign launched to continue to work closely with the association’s President and CEO in crafting talking points and responses to all audiences about the industry’s lawsuits. &Barr was an important partner in working with the association to monitor local and industry news, develop responses for both internal and external audiences, and secure media interviews.
To ensure every REALTOR® could confidently champion the value of their profession, &Barr led a focused internal communications effort designed to increase awareness, understanding, and ambassadorship. Segmented emails delivered timely, relevant updates to specific member groups, reinforcing the campaign’s value, how it elevates their business, and the simple ways they could amplify its reach to create a national movement. We developed clear, accessible key messages and talking points that were distributed by email and on the association’s website and member dashboard. This gave REALTORS® the language to tell their story with clarity and conviction—because even the most experienced professionals sometimes need help communicating.
To drive awareness and influence consumer perception, &Barr implemented a robust media relations strategy. We conducted hands-on media training for both the CEO and each year’s incoming President—preparing leadership to navigate interviews with confidence, consistency, and credibility while ensuring key messages were seamlessly woven into each interview.
By developing a 365-day flowchart that charted awards, editorial opportunities, industry events, and relevant days/months and utilizing monthly real estate market reports, &Barr’s results were intentional and sustained, resulting in 407 placements and 3.1 billion impressions between January 2024 and May 2025. While the CEO took the lead as a thought leader in industry media, association Presidents became go-to voices for consumer insights.
From Message to Momentum
The impact wasn’t just regional. The campaign attracted national attention through industry awards and coverage, prompting associations in Fort Myers and Greater Tampa Bay to license and localize the program. That licensing model has created new revenue, broadened adoption, and helped fuel future campaigns—solidifying “Only a REALTOR®” as a scalable solution.
3.1B+
Media Impressions
407+
Media Placements
295,857
landing page views
Continuing a National Movement
More than a campaign, the efforts became a movement that reinforced the essential role of a REALTOR® and united the industry behind a single, powerful message. Any agent can help you buy a home, but only a REALTOR® can do this.
What began as a focused PR effort to amplify a single campaign evolved into a powerful, ongoing partnership that has thrived for over four years. The success of our initial work earned &Barr expanded responsibilities and increased hours, allowing us to support the association far beyond the original scope. This wasn’t just about protecting a brand — it was about building a movement and shaping the conversation in a way that continues to resonate across the industry.