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David Corns is the chief marketing officer of Opendoor, an online residential real-estate company. Prior to Opendoor, he worked in-house at agencies like Wieden+Kennedy, Crispin, Venables Bell & Partners, and R/GA.
Favorite project you’ve worked on? I have two—both of which happen to be related to the Super Bowl. One was turning Opendoor into a brand. This past February, we proved that selling a house can be so easy that you can do it during the big game’s halftime with Opendoor’s first-ever halftime showing. We helped a real Atlanta family sell their home in just 15 minutes, shattering the idea that selling a home has to be a hard, time-consuming, and highly stressful process. We hacked a major cultural moment and generated all-time highs for awareness and consideration for Opendoor.
The second one is bringing Reddit’s 5-second Super Bowl ad to life in 2021. The ad celebrated the power of Reddit’s communities during a major national cultural moment just weeks after Reddit had dominated the financial world. Typically, Super Bowl ads can take years. This one was done in a matter of days. We saw the idea, created it, and shipped it that very weekend. Great ideas are currency.
What’s your favorite ad campaign? Among my favorites would be Nike’s iconic work with Wayne Rooney. That campaign caused so much of an uproar that people thought Nike sponsored the World Cup that year. As a creative—and Buckinghamshire, England, native—that one left an impression.
One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: I walk—a lot. Walking during meetings, walking during the morning. It’s a lifestyle.
What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? I’m most optimistic about brand building. This remains the ultimate difference-maker between a generational brand and one that disappears from the conversation. Brand building is a science and an art. While it takes time and investment, it steps you up for long-term success versus solely focusing on the near-term numbers. The key to brand building is to be contextual to the media environment. It’s about reaching consumers where they are, and serving them a message unique to their environment. That’s the special sauce.
I’m least optimistic about of-the-moment trends. Emerging tools are important. Web3 or NFTs, for example, are valuable, but they’re not often used in an additive way. Beloved brands help shape culture—not jump on every trend.