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Project Overview
The Archibald branded experience needed to express a grand, classic demeanour while remaining modern, quirky and relevant. The concept of mirroring these facets between the creation of a character and that of a product was seamless, engaging and ultimately resonated with a range of potential buyers of different demographics. The result was an eye-catching, unforgettable series of still images and cinemagraphs that captured, intrigued and converted buyer interest in one of Australia's most sophisticated and expensive real estate markets.
Team
Executive Creative Director: Erle Cramer Creative Director: Victor Li Senior Designer: Lenka Hulmes Copywriter: Emmanuelle Haworth Stylist & Art Director: Emma Chappell Photographer: Alina Gozin'a
Project Brief
Our brief required us to create a branded experience for a 19 level Bondi Junction residential tower - launching amongst 5 other Bondi Junction residential towers - at the same time. Architects Urban Possible delivered a unique and compelling product, being a 1930s inspired 19-storey tower with a sense of nostalgia combined with modern luxury. This distinctive offering was designed for a sophisticated, discerning market that required a branded experience which was engaging, relevant and compelling, yet able to really stand out amongst our competition.
This challenge led us on a search for a distinguished, memorable name. One which ended with us christening the project... Archibald.
After an exhaustive talent search, we settled on a distinguished gentleman to front the marketing campaign as the Archibald persona. How does Archibald look and behave? Bold not cold, grand not bland, classic not basic – almost a contemporary take on The Great Gatsby.
The character was brought to life in engaging photography and video formats. We created the property market’s first cinemagraph – a series of photographs morphed and time-lapsed to create moving parts in sections of the image, resulting in an unforgettable series of movies. Our character was extended into digital, print and outdoor, appearing in super-sized electronic formats in Westfield Bondi Junction, plus inside and outside our display suite.
Our advertising was unique, initially featuring no product, with our brochure resembling a shopping bag that enticed and motivated the desire to exchange contracts.
Project Innovation/Need
The marketing campaign for Archibald was innovative in that it delivered four industry firsts.
1) The visual metaphor of Archibald as a character.
2) The property market’s first cinemagraph creating moving parts within the image.
3) A media strategy featuring a first for Domain – three consecutive half page ads in the same issue featuring no product images.
4) Owning all available advertising real estate within Westfield's flagship Bondi Junction shopping centre, which is located adjacent to our site, and was identified through our research as being a very important selling feature. Our Archibald character appearing front and centre on every available form of advertising space, both electronic and print, from large electronic billboards to smart static screens and simple A-frames all at once - Archibald was everywhere!
The success was undeniable – enquiry was triple that of projects with similar budgets and the majority of apartments sold out within two days of the official launch.
Design Challenge
As is our usual process, an in-depth brand workshop was conducted with the client focus group to best determine how to design, position and brand our project. Through a collaborative approach we were able to determine that the spirit of our brand was contemporary yet nostalgic – and this singular thought became the platform for our campaign.
The challenge was to cut through in a cluttered market, but remain relevant and compelling. We needed an edge - a quirk - but couldn't push that too far in addressing a sophisticated market and a conservative category which demands a strong ROI.
Sourcing the talent, styling and adding a healthy dose of character became a precarious balancing act of design, strategy & implementation to ensure we delivered on our ideal positioning of being contemporary - and - nostalgic.
User Experience
An innovative print campaign introduced our Archibald character through a series of three half-page ads on subsequent pages in the same issue of Domain. To create a sense of intrigue, initially no product was shown throughout this phase, just our Archibald character along with the three distinctive messages of 'Bold not cold', 'Grand not bland' and 'Classic not basic'.
The digital campaign was just as inventive, playing our industry-first cinemagraphs through real estate portals, social media and on-line Edm campaigns. The result was overwhelming with registrations of interest and industry engagement at an all-time high.
We leveraged the project’s adjacent proximity to Westfield (which was a strong selling point) by executing a two-burst campaign over a four-week period throughout the flagship centre.
Archibald appeared front and centre on every available form of advertising space, both electronic and print, from large electronic billboards to smart static screens and simple A-frames – and the character became a local identity overnight.
Further to this, our brochure was designed with a unique carry handle that was die-cut into the cover so that it could be held like a high-end shopping bag. This created small moving billboards throughout Bondi Junction after potential purchasers exited the display suite. No expense was spared in the printing and finishes of this brochure, using gold foil on smooth, luxurious stock. With the stunning photography of the project’s magnificent views, we also utilised opportunities for fold-outs to really showcase the full imagery.
Branded Experience
This award celebrates creative and innovative design for branded experiences intended to persuade an audience to purchase or take some action upon products, ideas or services. Consideration given to the technical, conceptual and aesthetic elements, user experience, audience engagement and message delivery.
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