Century 21 is enabling sons and daughters to give their fathers what they typically wish for on Father's Day ? nothing ? by visiting a campaign microsite where users can purchase a temporary plot of land in Nothing, AZ, procure an email certificate and explore the town via 360-degree video.

The real estate brand is bringing a tongue-in-cheek twist to the art of Father?s Day gift-giving through its ?Give Dad Nothing? campaign, which lets consumers input the name of their father into a dedicated microsite to receive a complimentary certificate giving him a one-day license for a piece of land in the town of Nothing, Arizona. The mobile-optimized campaign also houses a shareable video about the promotion, as well as a 360-degree video allowing viewers to virtually explore Nothing.

?Mobile-optimization was an essential goal and component to our ?Give Dad Nothing? campaign,? said Steve Gregersen, vice president of national marketing at Century 21. ?One of the best parts of giving dad ?Nothing? is the ease and mobility of the gift.

?In less than a minute, your Father?s Day shopping is complete and all from your smartphone,? he said. ?In today?s mobile-driven world, we understand that consumers want to interact with brands digitally and in real time, similarly to how our agents and brokers interact with homebuyers and sellers.

?Mobile-optimized consumer interaction will continue to be a top priority for Century 21.?

The gift of Nothing
Consumers can access the campaign through June 19 by visiting givedadnothing.com on their smartphones or desktops. Once they reach the site, users will be greeted with the tagline, ?The Greatest Give He Never Asked For.?

They may then scroll down to watch the shareable YouTube video, which features locations in Nothing, an abandoned town in Arizona?s Mohave County. The video prompts consumers to do away with standard Father?s Day gifts ? such as cologne and sweaters ? in favor of giving their fathers exactly what they want ? nothing.

Individuals can enter their name, followed by their dad?s name, into the indicated fields before pressing the ?Claim Your Land? button, which will bring up another page on which the exact plot of land is displayed.

Each plot comes with a unique serial number and exact coordinates.

Gift-givers can then choose to download, email or text the certificate to the recipient. 

Consumers can also share tidbits about their experiences with the campaign via the #GiveDadNothing hashtag.

Culturally relevant moments
Century 21 sought to leverage a culturally relevant moment by rolling out a campaign that would resonate with consumers and subsequently entice them to browse available home listings via a button located on the bottom of the ?Give Dad Nothing? microsite.

?Century 21 aims to interact with consumers around the topics that are top-of-mind for them and lend a hand,? Mr. Gregersen said. ?This time of year, it?s Father?s Day and shopping for dad.

?We wanted to give dad a little ?dad humor? in a way only Century 21 Real Estate could.?

Individuals searching for humorous, last-minute gifts for their fathers ahead of this weekend?s holiday may be inspired to visit the microsite and purchase a temporary plot of land. Additionally, those in the market for a new home could stumble upon an enticing listing in their desired neighborhood.

Century 21 has been using a growing number of mobile marketing initiatives to bolster its digital presence and capture the attention of millennials and younger consumers.

Several months ago, Century 21 Real Estate streamlined mobile research for homebuyers around the world with a newly responsive Web site that provides a more convenient experience for browsing properties (see story).

The inclusion of 360-degree video on the ?Give Dad Nothing? microsite ? a feature that enables visitors to drag their screen to virtually explore the abandoned town ? was a smart move for the real estate company, due to the technology?s rising profile.

?The 360-degree video of Nothing, AZ helps bring the gift to life for dad and the gift-giver,? Mr. Gregersen said. ?What better to show dad how his ask for ?nothing? for Father?s Day came to fruition this year??