Arizona Homebuilder Plays on Advertising’s Biggest Stage

(Tempe, AZ) – Fulton Homes aired its new Super Bowl ad to the biggest TV audience in the world as sports fans, consumers and advertisers alike enjoyed the prime event of the year on network TV, Super Bowl XLIV in Miami on February 7, 2010, broadcast on CBS.

Arizona’s largest privately owned homebuilder aired one 30-second spot during the big game, and it has a second spot slated for broadcast during the 82nd Academy Awards presentations on Sunday, March 7. The spots represent a very new look and feel in regard to the brand image that the company has worked so hard to build since 1975.

“Fulton Homes considers the Super Bowl an important part of our marketing strategy and we have always come from the approach that marketing is muscle not fat,” said Fulton Homes CEO Douglas Fulton. “Fulton Homes is going into 2010 with a strong offense and we will win.”

knoodle, a Phoenix-based advertising and public relations agency, created the spots for Fulton Homes using nine actors and one professional voice talent representing a diverse cross-section of some of the Valley’s most talented individuals. Pre-production and concepting began in September of 2009 in conjunction with a local film company, along with an Emmy-nominated Hollywood effects house. The spots were filmed locally on location at McClintock High School in Tempe and at Glendale High School.

“The spots employ a lot of humor – a little tongue-in-cheek – while still retaining the brand essence of Fulton Homes that we’ve helped to build for so many years,” relates Matthew Wilson, Vice President of Creative for knoodle. “Doug Fulton is always open to exploring new ideas and innovative ways of marketing and he allows us in the creative field to present original thoughts and viewpoints – no matter how far out-of-the-box they may be.”

As reported on CNNMoney.com, John Bugusz, Executive Vice President of Sports Sales for CBS, relates that the network has sold 95% of its 30-second spots and is cutting deals for the rest. Advertising Age is estimating that CBS is charging between $2.5 million and $3 million for the spots. CBS executives said they’ve already sold out the first half as advertisers continue to recognize that the Super Bowl is an effective way to reach consumers. According to the Nielsen Company, last year was a record high for viewer volume as 98.7 million people tuned in to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers narrowly defeat the Arizona Cardinals.

Fulton Homes was founded in 1975 and grew to be one of the top homebuilders and family owned businesses in Arizona. During the past year, in the face of one of the worst housing markets in US history, Fulton Homes soldiered on in a market devastated by foreclosures and short sales. Fulton Homes, which offers many homes in the $116,500- $140,000 range, was the first homebuilder to highlight the downside of foreclosures in an informational advertising campaign. The online tool ForeclosureCostCalculator.com can be customized to fit the parameters of any foreclosed property, and analyze such factors as exterior paint, cabinets, and termites.

Published on behalf of Fulton Homes
Founded in 1975, Fulton Homes is one of Arizona’s largest privately owned homebuilders. Headquartered at 9140 S. Kyrene Rd. in Tempe, Fulton Homes builds affordable, high-quality single-family homes. Builder Magazine recently recognized Fulton Homes as having one of the 10 best-selling communities in America. The publication honored the Paradise at Ironwood Crossing community in the San Tan Valley where new homes are selling at a rate of 21.5 per month despite unemployment rates in Arizona hovering around 9.1% and economic conditions still shaky nationwide. To learn more about Fulton Homes, visit www.fultonhomes.com.

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