International agency network RE/MAX has launched a new US based TV advertising campaign and claims that they have had a 99.9 percent “share of voice” for US national TV advertising so far this year.

In a press release, RE/MAX states their share of the national TV audience in the adults category jumped from 50 percent in 2008 to 99.9 percent during the first quarter of 2009. RE/MAX puts the increase down to the fact that “many of the real estate industry’s biggest players are scaling back their TV buys due to economic realities”.

RE/MAX quotes TV audience figures from Nielsen Media Research to show that during 2008 it had a 50 percent share of voice, with Coldwell Banker taking 21 percent, Century 21 taking 23 percent, and ERA and Prudential both taking 3 percent each. The jump to a 99.9 percent share of voice means no other real estate franchises ran advertisements on national TV during the first quarter of 2009.

RE/MAX’s apparent domination of TV advertising reflects recent moves by Century 21, which pulled its TV advertising in favour of online options at the start of the year. Coldwell Banker has begun focusing on YouTube, but TV spots are still part of its 2009 advertising campaign.

RE/MAX’s dubs their 2009 TV ads “straight-talking”. They feature chief executive officer Margaret Kelly discussing real estate in the context of the troubled US housing market.