Chadstone – The Social Quarter

Chadstone is the biggest – and busiest – shopping centre in Australia. Beloved as a destination with more than 530 stores, the centre is a retail juggernaut. When they approached us to work on The Social Quarter – a new dining and entertainment precinct – we were presented with a unique opportunity to help Chadstone evolve. In doing so, we’d speak to new audiences while driving perceptual and behavioural changes that would help stimulate an 18/7 economy – far beyond the hours traditionally associated with a retail-centric business.

A new way to play

The Social Quarter’s premium dining options, including large-format restaurants, premium bars and a brewery, offered a new dimension to visitors. At the same time, entertainment destinations provided new experiences for all ages. Crucially, while we believed the offering would attract new visitors to Chadstone, we also recognised the opportunity to evolve how current audiences perceived and engaged with the centre. The Social Quarter’s flexibility meant it could attract diners from surrounding suburbs outside of nine-to-five, but it was also a compelling after-work destination for workers within Chadstone, as well as a family-friendly space where parents could relax and unwind while shopping or visiting. Strategically, we focussed this myriad of pathways and experiences on offer, underscoring the idea that guests could ‘play their way’ through The Social Quarter – where no two visits were alike.

A place to connect

As we developed our strategy, it became clear The Social Quarter would require its own brand. One that could sit alongside Chadstone’s – demonstrating a link between the two while also retaining a distinctive identity. The intent behind The Social Quarter was to create a best-in-class precinct where visitors could interact and connect with Chadstone, and each other, in new and unexpected ways – a flexible space to eat, drink and play. To reflect this space of dynamic connectivity, we created a bespoke typeface and suite of icons that spoke quite literally to this idea. With each stroke hinged at its pivot point, we created small moments of individual connection that, in totality, told the story of The Social Quarter. This ‘connector’ language needed to be flexible enough to support a range of activities, from establishing The Social Quarter as a destination during our launch campaign, through to business-as-usual activity like sharing events, supporting individual tenants and promoting offers and specials.

Finding our voice (with the help of some friends)

To cement this new understanding of Chadstone as an entertainment and dining destination, we adopted a content-led approach – telling the stories of place across multiple formats, platforms and mediums. First, we created a long-form editorial broadsheet that strategically leveraged key Chadstone influencers to bring the experiential dimension of The Social Quarter to life.This publication was distributed at the centre, as well as delivered directly to homes in the surrounding suburbs. To complement this print activity, we also created a suite of digital content for distribution across Chadstone’s digital channels. Working strategically, we captured this material concurrently with our print shoot – shaping bespoke content for Instagram, TikTok, Chadstone’s own website, eDMs and more. In each format, we brought this idea of a vibrant and dynamic playground to life in the medium most appropriate to the channel – whether that was written editorial, short-form video, interactive quizzes or social carousels. Collectively, these pieces worked together to bring to life the promise of an all-seasons destination where visitors could eat, drink, and play to their heart's content.

Bringing place to life

Ultimately, our measure of success rests on the adoption of The Social Quarter as a entertainment and dining destination. Since launch, our campaign activity delivered more than 17.8 million impressions – with the precinct hosting more than 1.4 million visitors  within the first five months. More than this, though, we achieved an 87 per cent awareness rate about The Social Quarter among those surveyed – cementing it as a destination within the wider centre.