Project Overview

'Stories of Toorak' is a newspaper-style publication created to supplement the residential development brochure of Ode and its Toorak Time Capsule campaign.

The publication champions the notable locals of Toorak: a cross hatch of the community from the local postman, through to Eddie McGuire; the mid-week tennis ladies, to the Mayor of Stonnington.

Organisation

Fortis

 

Team

Head of Marketing - Kristina Granberg
Marketing Manager - Jess Garcia
Design Director - Sarah Magro
Copywriter - Sophie Noble
Portrait Photographer - Rusty Crawshaw
Printer - Special T

Project Brief

Toorak Time Capsule was a 3-month campaign with the primary objective of maximising community engagement of local Toorak residents, which in turn would build positive brand awareness of Fortis in the lead up to their Ode development launch.

The climax of the campaign was a community event, hosted by Fortis and the local Mayor, thanking residents for their contributions and support to the Toorak Time Capsule. The same event marked the launch of the 'Stories of Toorak' publication and the Ode development sales campaign.

Project Innovation/Need

The visual identity for Stories of Toorak centres around creating a unique voice to share and celebrate the memories of Toorak village. These stories were revealed primarily through the publication of Stories of Toorak; a collection of short interviews and candid portraits captured as locals reflected and shared their observations about the past, present and future of their community.

To find local content for the publication, the social handle @tooraktimecapsule provided a forum to engage with residents, asking for nominations and contributions. Locals used our social channels to nominate their boss, dad, son, hairdresser, to be considered for inclusion in ‘Stories of Toorak’.

Aiming to convey a persona that feels rich and enduring, the bold typographic approach expresses the diverse and storied nature of the content with words and images building much like layers of time.

Design Challenge

Fortis needed a campaign that could shift the perception of their company within the Toorak community, from being unknown, to being trusted and endorsed. A challenging feat for a (at the time) relatively new, Sydney-based, development company.

We used qualitative on-the-field research to get to the heart of what the community was truly passionate about. We learnt that although the second most affluent suburb in Australia, for fiercely loyal Toorak locals, the real measure of value is how long you’ve lived in the area, and the answer is usually in the decades.

Locals loved to tell their own story, and of how they fit into the history of the village. We decided to use the campaign as a way to give Toorak Village something to gather as a community and be proud of. 'Stories of Toorak' would be included in the Toorak Time Capsule, buried in the foundations of our new development, aptly named ‘Ode’.

Effectiveness

Although the campaign was contagious by design, the response was more than we could have ever anticipated. Thousands of comments on just one social post voting for who should be included in the publication, from a social handle which was only weeks old; event RSVPs having to close days prior to the event due to overwhelming response; webpage visitors increasing by over 3,000% in just 3 months.

'Stories of Toorak' and its supporting Toorak Time Capsule campaign successfully engaged local residents and community groups, it promoted local retailers, and shifted the perception of Fortis from ‘unknown’ to ‘endorsed’.

"Just a quick note of thanks to you and everyone involved, for a fabulous evening last night. The evening brought the community together and in particular we left the event feeling enlightened with the new people we met and our exchange of stories."
Susie, local Toorak resident