Crace by CIC Australia Limited (lead partner of Crace Developments Pty Ltd comprising Defence Housing Australia, CHC Affordable Housing and Tatebrook Pty Limited) in joint venture with the ACT Land Development Agency
Crace is a new suburb in Canberra’s northern growth area of Gungahlin being developed by a joint venture between the ACT’s Land Development Agency and a consortium led by CIC Australia Limited with Defence Housing Australia, CHC Affordable Housing and Tatebrook P/L. From its inception, Crace set out to challenge people’s perceptions of what a new suburb could be, by combining a high density urban core with a surrounding suburban precinct. Canberra’s first HIA GreenSmart® suburb, Crace also is the first to offset unavoidable emissions during the construction phase through an initiative with Greening Australia.
Based on research, the market identified for Crace included people who would not normally consider buying in a new suburb. A brand workshop identified this audience as looking for a ‘buzz’ normally absent from suburban life and defined the brand promise as ‘the new community that challenges you to think differently’. From these insights, the brand line ‘Crace changes everything’ was developed and guided the development of all marketing materials.
Because of competition in the market and a long lead time before the first homes were on sale, emphasis was placed on building a database of prospective purchasers and communicating with them regularly. The objective set for database numbers was exceeded by 700% during the initial campaign, which used only small space press, site signage and PR activity to drive people to the website. As a result, initial sales met targets without extensive media advertising and the database has continued to deliver qualified prospects to the sales team.
Judges Comments
The enthusiastic execution of the project marketing plan for Crace, ensured successful achievement of all the marketing objectives. With clearly identified target markets, a strong, challenging brand was developed to attract residents who would not normally consider locating to a new suburb.
This striking and varied brand identity was core to the success of the marketing campaign which was strongly supported by cutting-edge 3D interactive technology, allowing for the preview of 60 home designs in the well-located sales centre.
A close relationship with the builders’ panel enabled development of branded sales collateral for each builder, overcoming the problem of brand consistency.
Market penetration was enhanced through a coordinated public relations strategy which led other organisations to showcase Crace, creating a number of talking points.