Brand Activation
Hitting New Highs: A Display Village Launch
A property development activation reimagined, delivering 179 new sales leads and creating a new way to drive buyer interest.
Major residential developments in Melbourne’s outer west have sprung up in recent years as a direct result of the dramatic increases in property prices in the inner suburbs. Part of the sales and community engagement program for these new suburbs is a launch, generally built around a display village. So, it was with Welsh Group and the launch of the Thornhill Park Display Village in Rockbank. Welsh, however, requested two major points of difference – they wanted something fresh – that didn’t remind them of every other launch event they had been to – and, they wanted a novel way of integrating builders and driving visitors into display homes.
From the very first moments of planning this brand activation, we were conscious of the elements we had on hand to make the desired impact: food, activity, sales activation and family experiences. The truth is, these elements don’t change markedly from launch to launch, regardless even of scale. The ability to provide visitors with a refreshed experience comes from being bold, being committed to brand continuity and giving people the chance to put themselves into the event, rather than producing an experience that is overly prescriptive.
In the food space, we knew the audience would want something substantial, but were chips and burgers the only way to satiate their appetites? We opted for brightly painted food trucks offering paella, tacos and gourmet slider combos, that indeed was the right balance of substantial and surprising. Free ice cream for kids and barista-made coffees for adults are not mainstays of the display village launch – a fact supported by the over-500 serves of ice cream that cooled the kids in Rockbank that warm Autumn day. Space was also made for the local footy club BBQ, which put a very pleasing $300 profit into their coffers.
Food, activity, sales activation and family experiences.
Styling at the launch was built on the theory that everything should visually represent the brand experience and contribute to immediate brand recall. Weaving through furniture, signage, ambassador uniforms and collateral were the signature colours of the new development, resulting in a domination of fresh blues and greens across the entire site. Every available activation experience was curated for its ability to mimic the upbeat nature of the development, from the live musical duo to the costumed stilt walkers. Art blocks – oversized white cubes paired with coloured chalk – not only brightened the space but also created a living experience that changed and developed as the day wore on.
The sales objective for the day was focused on driving visitors into display homes to interreact with builders.
The art blocks were just one of the ways we brought people into the brand activation. The sales objective for the day was focused on driving visitors into display homes to interreact with builders. More than simply a ‘tick box’ situation, we sought to create personal interest in this objective by developing the House Hunter’s Challenge, which incentivised visitors with rewards to visit display homes. Beginning with registration at the entrance to the Display Village, House Hunters were provided with an entry card, which enabled them to collect the stamps from the builders once they had interacted with them at the various display homes. Upon gathering a limited number of stamps, visitors could hand over their entry card to receive free food vouchers. Those that visited all display homes were also eligible to enter the major prize draw to win a $1,000 Visa Card. The House Hunter’s Challenge was heavily promoted across social channels in the lead-up to the launch and formed one of the main talking points for the day as far as builders were concerned. It also created multiple opportunities for Welsh to put a face to their brand and collect valuable prospective data. Based on these positive outcomes, the House Hunter’s Challenge represented strong value for money.
Across the 13 builders, 179 new leads were taken for the day.
500-plus interested home-buyers visited the launch on a hot and windy Melbourne day. Over 150 of those entered the House Hunter’s Challenge. Across the 13 builders, 179 new leads were taken for the day, with 55 follow-up meetings scheduled and 3 deposits taken. Whist overall attendance was slightly below expectation, the ratio of active participants to attendees was extremely positive. Based on client feedback and the large numbers of smiling faces at the event, the event design achieved the cut-through we were tasked with creating. Overall the day clearly hinted at the start of something new and exciting at Thornhill Park – a journey we were proud to be formative part of.
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