Never Become a Former New Yorker

More than 100,000 New Yorkers leave the city each year, many in pursuit of buying their first home. But while life beyond the boroughs may offer the promise of driveways, front yards, and white picket fences, they’ll also find more intense competition, rushed transaction timelines, and the banality of suburban life – leaving them pining for the NYC life they left behind.

The latest campaign from Zillow’s NYC brand StreetEasy®, “Never Become a Former New Yorker,” focuses on buyers contemplating a move out of the city and cautions them of the fate that could lie ahead. Applying a uniquely NYC tone and wit that only a brand as local as StreetEasy can achieve, the campaign depicts former New Yorkers out of their element in their new homes. Part brand campaign, part PSA, the thought-provoking ads remind current New Yorkers that the grass outside the city isn’t always greener. The ads emphasize that leaving NYC isn’t a prerequisite for owning a home, and encourage New Yorkers to fulfill their dreams of homeownership in the city they know and love.

The campaign’s vibrant photography style accentuates the drab setting of real suburban homes, creating a palpable feeling of boredom in its imagery. Overlaid with quotes inspired by former New Yorkers, the ads share invaluable life lessons that can only be learned from the mistake of leaving the city. The campaign will run throughout the year in various out-of-home, digital, audio, CTV, and social media placements.

In a new initiative for this year’s campaign, nostalgic New Yorkers who’ve left behind bodega cats for cul-de-sacs can call 1-833-I-MISS-NYC, a hotline sponsored by StreetEasy, to listen to the sounds of the city or air their grievances about life outside the five boroughs. A select number of respondents also have the chance to receive a surprise “piece of the city” gift from the brand. Ads for the hotline will run on social media and placements on New York’s Metro-North Railroad, targeting those who’ve traded the city for its Westchester, Hudson Valley, and Connecticut suburbs. The free hotline is available now through October.