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Data to Insight to Story: Beverly Jackson on How Zillow Became Culture (And Why Someday Starts Today Is a Platform, Not a Campaign)
- Wendy Forsythe
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Zillow’s Beverly Jackson shares the marketing framework behind "Someday Starts Today," why emotional storytelling beats transactional marketing, and how agents can build sustainable businesses.
What makes Zillow different from every other brand in real estate?
It's not just a brand. It's culture.
Beverly Jackson, who leads marketing at Zillow, puts it this way: "Zillow is a noun, a verb, an adjective. But it's also culture. We don't think about being part of the cultural zeitgeist. We ARE the cultural zeitgeist."
That's a bold statement. But after 20 years and 350 marketers working to bring this brand to life, it's hard to argue.
In this episode, Beverly pulls back the curtain on Zillow's newest platform, "Someday Starts Today," and shares the marketing framework that every agent should know.
What is "Someday Starts Today"?
First, let's be clear: It's a platform, not a campaign.
Beverly is intentional about this distinction. You launch a platform WITH a campaign—the films, the channels, the stories that bring it to life. But the platform itself is bigger.
"Someday Starts Today" is how Zillow meets every customer where they are in their unique journey.
Whether you're dreaming about homeownership for the first time, bursting at the seams in a small space, rushing home to tuck your kids in at night, or ready to downsize—your someday is different from everyone else's.
And it starts today.
Beverly explains: "The goal is to meet you where you are and make it feel personal to you. That you feel seen and heard."
How did Zillow launch "Someday Starts Today"?
During the Grammys.
And for Beverly, this was a full-circle moment. She worked at the Grammys for several years leading partnership marketing, social, and digital. Launching Zillow's biggest platform there? A dream meeting another dream.
(She watched from out of the country in her PJs. No more red carpet heels for Beverly.)
What's Beverly's marketing framework?
Data → Insight → Story
Here's how she explains it:
"We start with data. But I always push us past the data point to get to an insight. What's the breakthrough moment? Because in the insight is where I get to tell a story that resonates with you."
Example: Data shows families move during life trigger events. But the insight? Mom works from home. She's the breadwinner. She still wants to tuck her kids in at night. But by the time she commutes across town, they're already asleep.
That doesn't feel good.
So Zillow tells the story: How does your commute play into where you live?
When you see yourself in that story, you feel heard. And that's when someday starts today.
Why does this matter for agents?
Marketing has become transactional and performance-driven. We create assets designed to drive an action.
But Beverly's team focuses on the story behind the transaction.
There are humans behind these stories. The mom who wants to see her kids. The family who needs more space. The real estate agent who gave someone 20 hours of their life back by finding the right home with the right commute.
Beverly's advice for agents:
Think about the data you have access to. Your community. Your neighborhoods. One street at a time. One school district. One bus stop connection away from a train stop.
You know these stories better than anyone.
Push past the data to the insight. Then tell the story that makes your client feel seen.
What tools does Zillow offer agents?
Beyond leads, Zillow is focused on helping agents build sustainable, viable businesses for generations.
CRM systems. AI-powered tools. Co-shopper support (because kids, roommates, and siblings are all part of the process now). Resources like Zillow Pro designed to help you grow.
Beverly's B2B team thinks about what agents need to be successful at scale.
What's Beverly's X-factor?
Authenticity.
"I wake up every day and try to be the best me I can possibly be. Sometimes it's right, sometimes wrong, sometimes too much—nobody wants too much Beverly all the time. But marketing is equal parts art and science. The science is the data. The art is the authenticity of who you are."
Listen to the full episode here
This conversation is packed with insights you won't hear anywhere else.
Let's keep building together.
Wendy
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