Few brands in the real estate world have influenced culture the way The Corcoran Group has. Under CMO Christina Panos’ leadership, the company continues to evolve through emotional storytelling, distinctive creative decisions, and grounded insight into consumer behavior in real estate.
In this episode of The Speed of Culture, Matt Britton sits down with Christina to discuss how emotion, trust, and creativity drive modern real estate brand strategy.
Christina shares how Corcoran’s marketing uses emotional storytelling, community insight, and agent partnership to reach Millennial and Gen Z home buyers who want clarity and connection.
She also discusses real estate and AI, social platforms, and the next era of real estate marketing trends across a shifting housing landscape.
Christina joined The Corcoran Group in 2004 after serving as director of global brand building at Mastercard, where she gained early experience shaping large-scale creative work. Her move to Corcoran marked a shift in the real estate industry, introducing campaigns that centered emotion, human connection, and community insight rather than transactional messaging.
Across her tenure, she has guided Corcoran’s marketing, national campaigns, agent strategy, and the growth of the Corcoran Affiliate Network. Her recent work includes the “Be Home” and “Be Home for the Holidays” campaigns and continued development of editorial storytelling through Corcoran’s platform, Inhabit, reinforcing the company’s position as a modern luxury real estate brand.
Key takeaways:
[01:20] Emotion as Real Estate’s True Center — Christina shares how her earliest surprise in the industry was the absence of emotional insight. Real estate advertising focused on agents and accolades, not buyers and life moments. Her shift toward emotion in real estate led to the “Live Who You Are” platform and helped reposition Corcoran around human connection, identity, and meaningful storytelling within real estate brand strategy.
[03:54] Transforming a Transactional Industry Through Human Stories — When Christina arrived, there was almost no consumer research and very little knowledge of buyer motivations. Agents held all the data. She reframed Corcoran’s marketing by bringing in consumer insight, brand planning, and creative discipline from her agency background. This approach challenged the long-standing “all about me” agent culture and reshaped real estate storytelling across the company and franchise network.
[07:12] How Younger Buyers Think About Home — Christina highlights how Millennial home buyers and Gen Z home buyers approach real estate with caution but also deep curiosity. They grew up online, value transparency, and want active guidance from an agent who feels trustworthy. COVID amplified the importance of home, accelerated first-time purchases, and sharpened expectations around clarity and information within consumer behavior in real estate.
[10:11] Community Is Becoming a Driving Force for Buyers — Christina observes a major generational shift as younger buyers are not chasing badges of success. They are searching for proximity to friends, shared values, and lifestyle alignment. This emphasis on belonging reshapes community-driven marketing and aligns closely with how younger people choose neighborhoods, assess quality of life, and imagine their future social circles.
