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By now, you're probably all too aware that Brisbane’s property market is booming: the population is growing fast, house prices are on the up and the demand for public and private spaces is constantly increasing.
In such a competitive time, where every business is vying for tenants, investors and government contracts, having a strong brand isn’t optional: it’s pretty essential. Businesses that fail to brand themselves effectively will get overshadowed by more distinctive-looking players.
Will you ride the property boom? Or get swept under it? Here’s how brands can make the most of this opportunity.
As a Brisbane-based creative agency, we’ve helped many property and placemaking companies stand out and grow throughout South East Queensland.
The key thing, as we’ve discovered time and time again, is to build a brand that’s tailored to the Brisbane market. A cookie-cutter, generic brand will fail to resonate and go unnoticed. But a brand that’s grounded in the nuances, expectations and trends of Brisbanities will appeal to their needs and be hard to overlook. Let's take a look at a few examples.
Rethink Group, a property investment company, wanted to get young Brisbane professionals to buy more real estate through their rentvesting initiative. To explain, rentvesting is where you where you rent a home to live in (usually in a desirable area where buying may be unaffordable) and at the same time buy an investment property elsewhere (usually in a more affordable or high-growth area).
To help market this product, we investigated the attitudes of this group, and our research revealed a dual desire. On the one hand, young Brisbanites want to live in the more trendy and busy areas of the city. But on the other, they want to get their foot on the property ladder and start earning income to shore up their future prosperity.
With this twin insight in mind, we positioned Rethink's rentvesting as offering the best of both worlds: not only do you get to live in and rent out a property in a place you love, you also get to invest where it counts.
We then spread this idea all over Brisbane with a billboard campaign that popped up throughout the city. With bold visuals and an unambiguously direct message, we made sure everyone was aware of the win-win that rentvesting brings.
Located right in the heart of the city, 180 Queen Street is a private workspace with unique floor layouts and charming heritage features. To help them attract new commercial tenants, we investigated the decision-making processes and unique behaviours of businesses in the area.
Through our research, we uncovered a flourishing start-up culture of hungry tech and creative businesses. In fact, Brisbane has recently been named one of the top 40 emerging ecosystems in the world for start-ups and Queensland expects to employ 185,000 tech workers by 2030.
All of which then informed our unique value proposition, "The Bank of Ideas". It positions 180 Queen Street as the place where Brisbane's brightest minds congregate, a collaborative office where you just might have a category-disrupting eureka moment. By leaning into this idea, we helped it become known as a go-to workspace for those looking to get inspired and get ahead.
“Collaboration is the key to the start-up ecosystem, and I’ve been fortunate to connect with some bright minds right here in the halls.”
– Oliver Green | Residing Tenant
“There’s a quiet but potent energy as you walk through the halls; a feeling that new ideas are happening, emerging, galvanising and consolidating.”
– Jack Lambo | Residing Tenant
View the Full Case Study: DWS 180 Queen Street →
We helped another Brisbane workspace get noticed, this time only stone's throw away from Queen Street. 120 Edward Street is a lush workspace in a high-end area, which includes landscaped balconies and open-plan offices lined with plants and foliage. But as beautiful as the building was, there was a lack of awareness among local businesses.
Our research, which covered audience insights, competitor analysis and immersion into the area itself, unearthed a strong trend for natural spaces throughout Brisbane. Brisbane is now Australia’s most biodiverse city, and the City Council is undertaking a major project to transform 64 hectares of inner-city greenspace over the coming years.
Drawing on these insights, we created a solid brand proposition, marketing it as the ultimate "green retreat": a natural workspace that helps you approach the day's tasks with clarity, calm and fresh thinking. All of which was nicely summed up by the name "Habitat at 120”, which successfully marketed the space through its distinctively green credentials.
“120 Edward Street is very well-appointed and provides excellent end-of-trip facilities. The building is well located on the verge of Queen Street mall, close to the Brisbane River, Botanical Gardens and a wide variety of eateries for those who enjoy a daily fix of caffeine!”
– Hesta | Residing Tenant
View the Full Case Study: DWS 120 Edward Street →
FORGE wanted to win more community projects and grow their market share all over Brisbane. To help them do this, we conducted global benchmarking, national industry research, key stakeholder engagement and cultural assessments of Brisbane. What we found was a city with a huge appetite for outdoor projects: the government is spending AUD$3.435B of infrastructure in the build up to the 2032 Olympic Games, with projects ranging from cycling trails to parks and beyond.
So we doubled down on FORGE's expertise in this space with “Unlocking The Outdoors”, a brand promise that captures their mission to create spaces that inspire and connect. We then executed this idea with a powerful identity that highlights FORGE’s expertise in design thinking and engineering brilliance.
Now, FORGE looks and sounds like the authority in infrastructure they really are, ready to scale, innovate and thrive throughout the boom.
"The team at TOAST helped us bring our brand evolution to life in a way that truly reflects who we are. They took the time to understand our values and vision, guiding us through a process that was more than just a refresh: it was a meaningful step forward for our business. Their support has set us up for the future, and we’re grateful to have had them as partners on this journey."
— Roger Joyce | Managing Director
View the Full Case Study: FORGE Rebrand →
Whether you're big or small, residential or commercial, public or private-focused, we've got decades of experience in branding place and property businesses across South East Queensland.
And when we launch a brand, we don't leave things to chance. We take a strategic approach that's rooted in what's right for the region, then bring that strategy to life in a way that appeals to tenants, investors and local governments alike. Because to grow in Brisbane, you need to know Brisbane.
To find out more about our process, reach out to our local Brisbane Studio Director, Jared Asher Herring at jared@toastcreative.com.au
1 https://www.pexa.com.au/content-hub/south-east-queensland-set-to-be-a-population-growth-hotspot/
2 https://www.capex.property/brisbane-property-market-forecast-into-2025
3 https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/
4 https://startupgenome.com/ecosystems/brisbane
5 https://www.aurecongroup.com/insights/biodiversity-2032-games
6 https://councilmagazine.com.au/greenspace-redevelopment-delivering-cultural-parkland-for-brisbane/
