Project Overview

MONA is a collection of 23 luxury residences located in Darling Point, an affluent harbourside suburb of Sydney 4km east of the city centre.

Blending old-world charm with New York chic, the architectural design of MONA is defined by nuanced detail and elegant flourishes. Fresh, bold shapes and materiality reflect the surrounding Art Deco buildings. Crafted tonal bricks add artisanal warmth. Window portals frame enviable outlooks. While private terraces command sweeping views of Rushcutters Bay, the city skyline and Sydney Harbour.

Organisation

Fortis

 

Project Brief

Starting with a blank canvas, our inhouse marketing team was tasked with creating a cohesive brand identity and compelling narrative for MONA. The objective of the campaign was to generate a high volume of enquiry in the 4 weeks leading into the May 2022 launch, to maximise sales appointments within the first week.

The first step was to understand the MONA audience—including the market dynamics and demand profile for Darling Point and its surrounding suburbs. We analysed sales history, volumes and enquiries, and learned our buyers would almost certainly be discerning locals, motivated very much by lifestyle.

This inspired the brand idea, ‘A life in frame’. Using this as our creative anchor, the MONA launch campaign was then carefully executed across print and online advertising, printed brochures, website, on-site hoarding, and display suite.

Project Innovation/Need

MONA presented the opportunity for a narrative never seen in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. Urban culture meets New York chic. The inspiration was the circa 1976 NYC studio of Elsa Perretti, the Italian model-turned-revolutionary jewellery designer.

With a highly discerning audience, the MONA design needed to reflect ‘a life well lived’. Beyond merely a property, MONA was a platform that would enhance each buyer’s lifestyle and personal brand.

The design response imagines MONA not as a building, but as an individual. A strong mind carving her own path, celebrating personal style and never compromising.

MONA frames modern life with rich beauty. Bold, minimal and timeless, MONA’s restrained monochromatic palette reflects a life of elegance and simplicity. To evoke a sense of style and play, MONA presents black and white reportage-style street photography as a candid gallery of modern life.

Strong black framing elements draw the eye to MONA’s key messages and moments. Her copy is simple and effortless, interspersed with expressive, handwritten notes as though penned by Elsa Perretti herself.

The MONA logo presents as its own abstract frame. The custom width four letters lock to corners and morph effortlessly with each application.

Paragraph copy is justified at full width, resulting in hard-edged sides and right angles that amplify the ‘A life in frame’ positioning. Handwritten elements provide personalised touches. Die-cut frames create focussed moments to draw in the reader.

Design Challenge

It was a hugely difficult time to launch a development of such profile and prestige, with continued market volatility due to COVID-19, war in Ukraine, a Federal Election, rising construction costs and inflation all conspiring against us.

Additional to this, at the time of MONA’s launch in May 2022, independent research conducted by the valuer revealed there were 24 separate residential projects—comprising a total of 232 residential units—within the surrounding suburbs of Bellevue Hill, Darling Point and Edgecliff. These were either DA approved, lodged or under construction. Therefore, it was critical to clearly differentiate MONA from its competitors.

The MONA campaign needed to slice through it all, commanding attention within a market already overflowing with competition and justifying the high-end value price point—all whilst building the brand equity and reputation of our business, Fortis, as developer of the project.

Effectiveness

The campaign delivered an exceptionally high level of enquiry of over 1,412 in the first 6 weeks.

On Saturday 28 May, the Fortis team held the sales launch for MONA. The atmosphere was abuzz with over 100 appointments on the first day and 60% of the project was either purchased or reserved.

Amongst the first weekend of sales, the MONA penthouse was sold to a local buyer for $13.75m, while a 3-bedroom apartment achieved a record price of $7.8m.