If you are a fan of “The Agency”, the “wow” effect must have blown you away more than once. Facing the breathtaking view of the Mediterranean from the tallest house in Marseille in season 3 of the real estate program, for example. Or by discovering the size of certain apartment dressing rooms put up for sale by the Kretz family, the agents of the series, twice as large as your modest T2. Without forgetting these disproportionately large houses which themselves no longer know what to do with their too many bathrooms and their infinity pools.
This “wow” effect, which fills our eyes and makes us fall out of our chair, peppers the episodes of “The Agency” almost as many times as the gong rings in the Kretz family living room during each sale (or that the name of Daniel Daggers in season 1, that is to say). “It’s true that it’s often the first word that comes out to our clients when part of the property for sale is breathtaking,” explains Martin Kretz, one of the agents in the series, to 20 minutes. “Generally if there is a wow in the middle of the visit, it’s a good start,” he adds. And season 4, broadcast from this Thursday at 9:25 p.m. on TMC, is not exempt.
“We want it wow effect », asks from the first episodes a buyer to Valentin, the second agent of the siblings. This requirement is added to the many criteria for purchasing a luxurious apartment in the heart of New York. But what exactly does it contain?
“Sometimes all it takes is one small detail to trigger a sale”
First of all, it is a sales concept. “The “wow” or “wow” effect refers to the fact that a product or service, an experience or an advertising campaign can trigger an effect of surprise, admiration or appreciation in consumers,” explains the site. definition-marketing.com. The objective? “Promote classic or impulse purchases” or even “reduce price sensitivity and consumer rationality”. In other words, it’s the little thing that makes the difference. “Sometimes all it takes is a small detail to trigger a sale,” notes Martin Kretz. For Raphaël, the youngest of the family, this wow effect can be triggered by “a view, a cathedral living room, a swimming pool… It can define quite a few places in a house or property”.
The problem? The “wow” effect of some is not that of others. For ordinary people, this may be when the apartment to be purchased has double glazing or separate toilets. Among the ultra-rich, it will be a helicopter landing pad on the roof of a second home or a private nightclub in the basement. “Everyone has their definition. We could show several clients the same property and they might not get the wow factor at the same time and in the same room,” emphasizes Martin Kretz.
Especially since our real estate agents’ clients are not the type to marvel at a simple Hungarian point parquet floor in the dining room or a touch of Calacatta marble in the bathroom. “We have clients who have seen a lot, who are used to spending vacations in palaces or ultra-high-end homes, so we have to surprise them! We always need more,” says the agent.
The “wow” effect, the Holy Grail for Kretz? “Our challenge is to give them an experience. This is what we love and what we seek to do. For us, “wow” is when we make a sale but also when the relationship with the customer is good. brief to the notary,” replies Martin.
“We prefer to put on screen properties that make us dream”
This effect of surprise is also what makes the program so special and keeps the viewer in suspense. As the seasons go by, we discover larger and larger villas or more and more stunning properties. Season 4 begins with the discovery of one of the largest stud farms in France and its dizzying estate that Valentin and Raphaël travel on horseback, of course. The Kretz brothers also take us to New York to visit a breathtaking penthouse but also to Spain to show us “THE view of Barcelona”, promises the press release.
Stars also spice up this new season. Or rather their shacks. In the Big Apple, Valentin lifts the veil on Rihanna’s old apartment. In Costa Rica, Mel Gibson’s villa opens its doors to us. A mega wow effect and a boon for the production of the show? “We know what can work,” replies Eve Ewing, general manager of Reservoir Prod. Afterwards, we don’t look for it, we can’t imagine it. It’s more by working with them, seeing what they have in the catalog and choosing with them the options that are interesting. If they say “we got this house or this good from this person”, we can then tell them “great, it would be good to show it”. »
Even if it means highlighting spectacular houses less in the interest of buyers, than for the amazement they can cause on viewers? “We prefer to put on screen properties that make us dream,” admits Martin. However, for the Kretz brothers, beyond the goods to be sold, it is above all the stories behind them that take precedence. “In each there is a part that can be “wow”. We always tell touching stories,” he says. “Afterwards, there are stories that we more or less want to share, with customers with whom we have more or less affinity,” adds Valentin.
“Every time we think we’ve seen everything”
Always further, always higher, always stronger, from season to season “The Agency” redoubles its efforts to dazzle us. But don’t we risk getting used to the “wow” effect and getting tired of it? How to surprise again and again? “We’ve been asking ourselves these questions for ten years, since we started. Each time we think we have seen everything, the most beautiful, the highest terrace, the largest volume… In fact we are always surprised,” explains Valentin. His brother Martin agrees: “We are lucky, in France, to have a colossal heritage. There is a diversity in goods that is crazy. Between the mansions, the penthouses, the lofts behind the carriage entrances… It’s endless. »
Especially since the Kretz family is increasingly developing its offering internationally, in Portugal, Spain, the United States, Greece, Indonesia… The “wow” effect is not about to make a splash .