Office Profiles

Client first impressions can generate positive feelings about the Sotheby’s International Realty brand. Your office page on sothebysrealty.com provides an opportunity to welcome clients to your company virtually, just as you would if they actually walked through your front door. The page features 1 photo of your office as well as a brief description under the headline, About This Office.

ABOUT THIS OFFICE

First and foremost, the About This Office copy should establish your company’s professionalism by describing the activities inside including the resources you have assembled, your organizational structure and how staff members work together to fulfill client objectives. Secondarily, you may wish to highlight the physical aspects of your office that may enhance your image. Examples would be its architectural or historic interest, design elements and location. You also can use this section to briefly describe how you fulfill your commitment to your community, whether through volunteerism or direct support of charitable organizations.

Office Photo File Specifications: • 2,000 x 1,200 pixels • Landscape only

TIP:

Use the Home History Book, available through Xpressdocs, to obtain information from the homeowner about the home. With the homeowner’s permission, use this in the Owner’s Quote field.

OFFICE PHOTOS

Your office photos should reinforce the copy points and help illustrate your company’s personality. Exterior photos should be sharply focused, wellilluminated and include signage, whenever possible (as long as signage complies with brand standards). Before photographing your office, remove distracting elements including trash cans and vehicles. When composing exterior photos, do not include people or animals and avoid distracting elements including utility cables, electrical vaults, exhaust fans and satellite dishes. Select a time of day to photograph your office when illumination is even and warm, typically just after daybreak or just prior to dusk. Before shooting interior photos, public and work spaces should be straightened up and cleaned, desks organized, trash cans hidden from view and stickers and photos removed from windows and walls. When composing interior photos, do not include people or animals and avoid distracting elements such as rest room doors or signs, cable bundles, worn carpeting, break rooms, wall defects and directional signs.

OFFICE VIDEO

You are encouraged to upload a professionally produced video that expresses the history, professionalism, and experience that your office and company embodies.

LENGTH

1 - 3 minutes

Longer videos tend to get passed over on the web and do not hold the viewer’s attention for the full length.

RESOLUTION

4K Ultra High Definition / HD (4K/1080p)

The Sotheby’s International Realty brand’s marketing is based on an iconography of bold visuals conveyed through the highest video resolution quality on sothebysrealty.com and our distribution platforms. Our showcase presentation displays Ultra HighDefinition (UHD) and High-Definition (HD) videos, so anything less will appear to be stretched and pixilated. We highly recommend 4K (3840 × 2160 px) and in a 16:9 aspect ratio. When not available, 1080p is the minimum acceptable resolution.

AUDIO

Music track with optional voiceover & on-screen dialog

A backing track of royalty-free (right to use copyrighted material or intellectual property without the need to pay royalties or license fees), or licensed music is required. Failure to utilize properly licensed material may result in legal action from the original copyright holder of which you may be liable.

If a narration is added to the video, it must be a clear and crisply recorded voice-over. Avoid regional colloquialisms that may not translate well outside of specific regions and do not include any contact information.

For any dialog delivered by any individuals on-screen, all audio should be recorded using professional equipment, with no sonic noise or artifacts. Any dubbed audio should be precisely synchronized with the on-screen talent.

STYLE

Smooth camera movement, clean edits, limited still image usage

Videos should be created by a professional filmmaker and use a tripod or stabilizing system to avoid shaky footage.

When editing avoid jump cuts – wherein two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly.

Avoid the use of still imagery. The use of still-images in places where full moving-image footage could be used fails to take full advantage of the video medium. Still images should only be utilized in instances where video footage is not possible (such as Historical imagery) and should compose no more than 20% of the video length. All still images used must have the properly licensed rights from the image owner.

CONTENT

Focus on the company and office’s value proposition, no product placement, proper brand usage

Keep the focus on the office and company’s professional history and relevant experience, while using select personal stories to connect on an emotional level. Keep all content centered around the thematic relevance of the real estate industry and the office and company’s connections to it. When any individuals are on-screen, the following guidelines should apply:

• Adds value to the message of the video

• Professional appearance and demeanor

• Provides a relevant and experienced point-of-view

• On brand (The Vanguard, Innovation, Premium,

Modern) Do not speak as a representative of the Sotheby’s International Realty® brand, and avoid terms and phrases that are utilized in current or past brand campaigns. Keep the focus of the video on your local office and company.

When speaking your local company name (e.g., Smythe & Jones Sotheby’s International Realty), the on-screen individuals and any voiceover must say the

full legal name as described in the Identity Standards Manual. The name “Sotheby’s International Realty” should only be spoken when directly referring to the brand/network and “Sotheby’s” alone should only be spoken when directly referring to the auction house.

Avoid focusing closely on external logos branding elements of shopping bags, cars, beverages, or other such items that could be viewed as overt “product placement”.

All on-screen and voiceover talent must agree to the absolute right and unrestricted permission to use their name, testimonial and biographical data in writing, which must be secured by the content creator (i.e., the affiliate and broker/owner). This will ensure the video can be distributed and edited as needed with no possible legal limitations.

LOGOS, CAPTIONS, TITLES AND CREDITS

Use provided templates for credits and end title cards

Written or graphic identification is allowed solely through use of the templates provided by the brand here:

Person Identifier & End Title Card

After Effects Template

InDesign Template

No additional on-screen text or logos are allowed, and the templates provided above must not be manipulated in any way, including adding any new animations or visual effects. When adding a company name to the templates, the full company name with no abbreviation must be used. (e.g. Smythe & Jones Sotheby’s International Realty)

Any core collateral or signage displayed during the video must be compliant with current brand standards as outlined in our Identity Standards.

THUMBNAIL IMAGE

4K Ultra High Definition/HD (16:9 Aspect Ratio)

Every video has a thumbnail image that will be the initial visual a visitor sees. Make sure the image you choose is formatted in the correct 16:9 aspect ratio and conforms to existing brand standards. (Please refer to the Office Photos section on page 24).

FILE FORMAT

All major file formats are accepted – webfriendly mp4 preferred. Must be less that 1 GB in size.

PERSON IDENTIFIER EXAMPLE: TITLE CARD EXAMPLE: