Come visit the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon this summer
Come visit the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon this summer!
- August 9th - Range Park - Bedford
- August 10th - Merv Sullivan Field - Halifax
The First RE/MAX Balloon
When RE/MAX began its relationship with hot air ballooning in 1978, the desire was for a marketing image that would get noticed. Word of mouth was spreading fast about the network of highly experienced real estate agents who were proving to be more experienced, productive and knowledgeable than anyone else on the scene. But market studies showed that among consumers in general, name recognition of RE/MAX ranked well below many lesser competitors. Meanwhile, in New Mexico, a few RE/MAX agents and their regional leaders dreamed up the idea of entering a red-over-white-over blue RE/MAX Balloon in the 1978 Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. The RE/MAX ground crew wore jackets with patches that read, “Above the Crowd!®”, a phrase devised by an Affiliate. And as often is the case with hot air balloons, the RE/MAX Balloon really grabbed some attention. Plus, the imagery meshed perfectly with the RE/MAX network’s emphasis on innovation, freedom and leadership! At International Headquarters, in Denver, the RE/MAX executives immediately recognized that a hot air balloon flying free “Above the Crowd!®” represented independence, freedom, and professionalism - everything the organization had set out to be. They enthusiastically adopted the balloon image as the RE/MAX corporate logo.
The fleet of RE/MAX Balloons began to rapidly grow. The first gathering of RE/MAX Balloons was at the 1982 RE/MAX Great Balloon Race in Toronto. Six balloons participated.
Only six years later, 18 RE/MAX Hot Air Balloons were brought together outside Fenton, Michigan. Spectacular helicopter footage of their morning flight over the misty Midwestern countryside provided the basis of the RE/MAX “Take a Step Above the Crowd!” advertising campaign.
The third and thus far the largest mass ascension of RE/MAX Balloons took place in the foothills outside Denver in 1989, when 54 RE/MAX Balloons launched and were filmed in flight for yet another RE/MAX commercial.
