B.C. Realtor gains internet fame with ad of laser beams shooting from eyes
Patricia Houlihan says she's sick of boring ads and wanted to make people laugh
Think about your average real estate ad — a bevy of For Sale signs, manicured lawns and a family smiling as the agent seals the deal with a handshake.
But one B.C.real estate agent and lawyer is getting some attention for her boldly different ad.
Patricia Houlihan's ad had many on Reddit thinking it was Photoshopped as a prank or her advertisement was vandalized.
But she assures CBC it's real.
"I am sick of boring ads with all realtors saying the same thing so wanted something interesting, outside the box and fun...hopefully something people would get a laugh out of," she told CBC in an email.
"Yes I am one of the top realtors in the city and recognized as such by the real estate board, but do I need to say the same thing they all say?"
Houlihan's ad on Hastings Street in Burnaby, B.C. was created by Mike Catherall, creative director of Immersion Creative.
"Honestly, when I first showed them to her a couple of years ago, she thought it was too funny but didn't take it too seriously," he said. "She even showed it to some other lawyers who told her you can't really run this."
But then they decided to go for it earlier this year and threw this one into the mix along with a more serious ad.
"We thought let's try something fun, and maybe it will get picked up on social media. And lo and behold, it did. It took a few months but now it's on Reddit."
Catherall says many have described Houlihan as a superwoman as she's a lawyer, a realtor, a mother of twins and a triathlete.
"So it's kind of like that show Supergirl with the lasers coming out of her eyes."
The ad did lead to some creativity on Reddit, with others posting their own riffs of it. Here's a sampling.
