Independent brand and creative agency Chello has partnered with global real estate firm Greystar in conjunction with Kantar to develop the brand strategy, identity and launch campaign for Haiku, a new build-to-rent (BtR) brand tailored for the Australian market.
The project caps off a period of new work underway for Chello across sectors including education, health, tech and the arts, with clients such as Qantas, Accor, AICD, AIA, Fresh Clinics, InDigital, SoSafe, Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview, TeamForm, ShareGratitude and the Sydney Fringe Festival.
Haiku marks Greystar’s first local brand. Chello was engaged to create the brand from the ground up, leading naming, brand architecture, identity design, digital experience and the national launch campaign.
“From day one, we knew Haiku had to stand apart, not just visually, but in its values. By putting renters at the centre, we broke from category conversions and built a brand that feels human, local and built to scale. It’s a rare project where strategy, identity and campaign vision clicked from the start,” Tom Dabner, creative strategy lead at Chello said.
Chello partnered with Rocket and Intelligent Mobile to deliver a website, showcasing Haiku’s properties while communicating its lifestyle-first proposition. As the brand identity took shape, Chello also developed and rolled out a bold, multi-channel launch campaign built around the idea ‘Rent proud. Own life.’
The resulting brand centres on the idea of renting designed for renters rather than landlords – a positioning designed to reflect Greystar’s international experience in premium managed rentals and to establish early differentiation in the local market.
“With Haiku, we are establishing ourselves in the rapidly growing build-to-rent space in Australia. Coming in with global experience in BtR, but new to this market, required defining a distinctly differentiated position and that’s what the name Haiku and positioning ‘designed for renters’ is,” Greystar’s head of marketing, Jade MacAuslan said.
“Chello’s narrative flip to champion the ’rent proud’ gives us a point of view that works not only to build our brand, but to build the category. It’s the meaningful kick in the stereotypes this space needed,” MacAuslan added.
“The work we did on Haiku is the kind that plays to our strengths and passions – building a brand from the ground up with strategic clarity and a clear point of view. It’s been a rewarding process, and as we continue to grow across sectors and take on new clients, it marks a pivotal time for Chello,” Lindsay Rogers, co-founder and managing director at Chello said.
Haiku’s first two locations, The Gladstone in South Melbourne and The Claremont in South Yarra, are now open. The Gladstone is the state’s largest BtR development to date and Chello continues to work with Greystar as the brand expands to new sites.
Credits:
Chello
Drou Angelides – Group Account Director
Olivia Martino – Account Manager
Tristan Velasco – Co-Founder & Creative Director
Natalie Wong – Associate Creative Director
Tom Dabner – Creative Strategy Lead
Chesca Ruta – Design Lead
Megan Maddison – Designer
Anna-Marie Kwakye – Designer
Charlie Roberts & John Kerswell – Copy & Naming
Nicola MacAlister – Copywriter
Ceri Jones – Senior Producer
Lauren Barrett – Producer
Jaron Lionel – Senior Video Creative
Greystar
Jade MacAuslan – Head of Marketing
Rocket:
Mariano Di Lascio – Digital Director
Sam Lucas – Senior Account Manager
Davy Dubouchet – Head of Design & Web Development
Kantar
Dan Robertson-Jones – Partner, Consulting by Kantar
Irene Joshy – Regional Creative Head, Kantar Insights APAC
