‘Breathtakingly horrific’ video advert for Australian property provokes mirth

Estate agency apologises for incredible marketing approach

A spectacular video for a modern property in Sydney has become the focus of attention around the world – though perhaps not the kind of attention the producers had hoped for.

The video, apparently designed to promote 42 Chamberlain Road, in Padstow, south west Syndey, is an unironic and bombastic romp through the building’s glittering contemporary features.

Viewers are taken on a virtual tour of the home and treated to the antics of a dancing couple, who appear to have access to the house, which has very few possessions in it.

It begins with a man inexplicably parking a white Jaguar halfway across the pavement, rather than driving it into the house’s large underground garage a few metres in front of him.

He steps out, clad in Chelsea boots, but no socks, and is forced to walk around the awkwardly parked car, before sashaying purposefully into the house as bass-heavy music surges theatrically.

A woman swings the door open for him, and without so much as a hello, he heels the door closed and the pair begin a flamboyant dance around the house, including a costume change, and with the bloke leaping onto the sideboard in the kitchen in his boots.

While this is happening, we are treated to shots of a shiny new oven, sink with a tall bendy tap, a bathroom with a designer bathtub, lots of black and white gleaming surfaces, broad panes of glass, a fake fire beneath a massive TV, and exterior strip lighting in the garden.

The action then swings over to the L-shaped swimming pool, and kicks off with the bloke taking a poorly executed dive into the luminous water.

This is followed by a furious front crawl in which the actor, lacking goggles, appears keen to keep his head out of the water.

Fortunately, when he has completed his length, the woman is there to hand him a glass of white wine.

His work done, they leap onto the bed as the reflection of a camera man is seen moving silently past.

Reactions to the video have been unambiguous.

“This is what happens when frustrated cinematographers & editors don’t have TV shows or music videos to work on,” wrote Dylan Behan, who uploaded the ad to YouTube.

“Siri show me something so breathtakingly horrific that it borders on art,” Benjamin Law tweeted.

I'll just leave that there. Should be fine. (Screengrab)

Apparently this was a clean edit of the video. A “raunchier” early cut which was viewed by over 60,000 people was reportedly removed, estate agent Sam Nander told Australian news website 10 Daily.

On Wednesday afternoon the real estate company, LJ Hooker Bankstown, apologised for the video and removed it from its social media pages.

“LJ Hooker Bankstown is always looking for new ways to market our listings; however, this time we missed the mark,” it said in a statement.

A spokeswoman said: “We live and we learn.”

(Screengrab)

According to an analysis of the floor plan by one Twitter user, the layout of the house means someone sitting on the lavatory would be visible from the kitchen.

Mr Nader reportedly said this type of video does not work for all houses, only ones that are “prestige”.