The return of ‘legacy gold’: CENTURY 21 Real Estate embraces its iconic past while betting on Compass tech

For decades, the iconic gold blazer was synonymous with the CENTURY 21 Real Estate brand. From appearances in television shows like Gilmore Girls to movies like WarGames and the 1984 Ghostbusters film, the gold blazer was a hallmark of the real estate industry and a marketing calling card for real life CENTURY 21 agents, helping the company to a place on Time’s list of America’s Most Iconic Companies. 

While the gold blazer has largely disappeared in the U.S., CENTURY 21 CEO Mike Miedler says the wholesomeness, professionalism and consumer-focused experience the blazers stood for are still central to CENTURY 21’s identity over 50 years after the firm’s founding. 

“A differentiating factor for us at CENTURY 21 is that if you go into almost any market in any corner of the globe, consumers will know who CENTURY 21 is. They’ll know it is a real estate brand and that it stands for trust and confidence,” Miedler said. “People know what the experience is going to be like working with a CENTURY 21 agent.”

Although some may view CENTURY 21 as a bit “vanilla,” the community engagement and high level of customer services CENTURY 21 agents provide, Miedler feels has greatly contributed to the longevity and success of the brand. It is this reputation and legacy that Miedler is looking to preserve as he guides CENTURY 21 through its integration with Compass International Holdings. 

Agents want differentiation

“I have operated in an environment with a matrix of multiple brands since 1998, so it is second nature to me, but I do see all of the people from the outside wondering how we don’t all homogenize,” Miedler said. “I think what it comes down to is that agents want some type of differentiation, whether that is leadership, whether it’s training, whether it’s brand recognition and naming convention.” 

So while all of the Compass International Holdings brands are eventually slated to be on the Compass technology platform, Miedler does not feel this shared backbone will cause his firm to turn into another Sotheby’s International Realty or Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. 

Miedler believes the consumer-first and trust focused approach CENTURY 21 agents and brokers are known for may be one of his brand’s primary differentiators. Due to this, Miedler feels upholding this reputation is becoming even more important in the face of industry consolidation and criticism that these larger companies are out of touch with homebuyers and sellers. 

“Every one of our agents literally lives, eats, sleeps and raises kids in the place they serve,” Miedler said. “They are more community first than large entity first and I think that is one of the things that gives CENTURY 21, as a brand, an edge.”

The leverage and scale of a platform is enticing

While he acknowledges the integration with Compass International Holdings will certainly pose its fair share of challenges, Miedler is excited by the scale and leverage being part of an even larger organization will give the CENTURY 21 team.

“Just thinking about 300,000 plus agents all working on a single platform, that isn’t just a CRM, but where the entire life cycle of the transaction lives, that is exciting and not just for the efficiency that the agent could have, but really the streamlined experience the customer will have, which is what we are always trying to strive for here at CENTURY 21,” he said. 

“A lot of the heavy lifting now is going into our integration and our adoption of the Compass technology. It is extremely important that we earn the agents’ trust in the platform and show them the value of it with how it will help with their business but also improve the consumer experience,” Miedler added.

Looking back to move forward

As Miedler and CENTURY 21 look to the future, the firm’s leadership team has decided to also take a look back and carry some of that iconic gold into the company’s next 50 years of business. 

“A few years ago we did a rebrand of the organization,” Miedler said. “It was time and something that was necessary because when we looked at the new generation of buyers and where they were looking online, we felt it was time for a refresh.” 

However, Miedler said research done by the company’s marketing department shows that the refresh may have been a bit of an overcorrection. This, Miedler said, has led the team back to a color they call “legacy gold.” 

“At our global conference this year, we re-released our legacy gold yard signs,” Miedler said. “It is going to be up to our agents if they feel using that sign is the right call for the property and client they are representing, but we found that the gold post was truly a differentiator for us.” 

For Miedler that legacy gold color is tied to joy, which is at the heart of CENTURY 21’s slogan: “Dedicated to the joy of home.” 

While the return of the iconic gold blazer may not imminently be in the cards for CENTURY 21, Miedler is grateful for the brand and business they helped create. 

“They are a bit of a throwback and a hallmark of the company, but what I think the blazers and the legacy gold stand for as hallmarks is putting the consumer first and that consumer trust we continue to strive to earn,” he said.