Gary Friedland wanted to cut through the haze of advertising confronting would-be real estate clients. The Halstead Property broker and Greenwich Village resident thought long and creatively about a way to reach people without the typical tote bags, umbrellas, billboards, magazine ads, etc.
The idea was sniffing at his feet.
Friedland enlisted his two Jack Russell terriers a father and daughter duo named Daisy and Huckleberry “Huck” Finn to carry the Halstead logo on walks through the Village. Friedland first dressed the dogs this past winter, with jackets emblazoned “Canine Sales Force,” and also walks them in warmer weather with similarly adorned, lighter-weight jackets. The response from curious passers-by has been greater than with the dogs sans-jackets, and has provided Friedland, a one-time creative director for the advertising firm Benton and Bowles, with several conversation starters often ending in him passing along his business card.
“The dogs are pretty cute on their own, with or without their Halstead coats on,” Friedland said, “so a lot of people typically like these little characters. And when they see them with their little advertising jackets on, they kind of have a smile and will engage me in conversation more often than [during] the regular walk around the block. The whole thing has been an easier way for me to chat with people than normally a salesperson would.”