This Upplands Väsby campaign reimagines urban redevelopment with Erik Johansson’s surreal artistry, transforming construction into anticipation— Clapboard's
We know what it means to move - Savills | Clapboard Ad Archive
Savills’ We know what it means to move campaign, developed with adam&eveDDB in the United Kingdom real estate market in 2023, signals a bold shift in category communication by embedding the brand at the emotional centre of one of life’s most meaningful transitions. Departing from transactional messaging typical in property services, the campaign’s creative premieres a 60-second narrative film that chronicles the arc of a family’s life inside a single house, using a makeshift height chart on a doorframe to reflect the passage of time and the unique milestones that define home. By positioning both the house — and, by extension, Savills — as participants in memories from first move-in with a newborn through children’s departure and eventual downsizing, the campaign lands a nuanced and deeply resonant message about continuity, belonging, and the layered anxieties of moving. The strategic decision to foreground lived experience over product features reframes Savills as not just a transaction facilitator, but as a trusted partner and emotional ally across the property journey, setting clear distance from luxury and efficiency-led competitors including Knight Frank, Hamptons International, and Foxtons. Marketed across TV and digital, the work leverages an integrated strategy to extend touchpoints from broadcast to social media, further cementing Savills’ promise to be present at every stage of life’s property narrative. Sitting squarely in what Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#5—Exemplary Story, the film’s plot-driven approach places both the home and the brand in roles central to the emotional resolution, lending Savills both relevance and relatability as generational stewards of change. Clapboard rates this 64/100. At a time when property brands often default to rational reassurance or technical superiority, this campaign stands out for demonstrating that emotional literacy and narrative intuition may be the most powerful differentiators in a crowded real estate category.
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