Alphabet creates brand identity, strategy and campaign for new nightlife precinct in The Rocks

Creative agency Alphabet, has developed a new brand identity, strategy and campaign aimed at driving Sydneysiders to a dining and nightlife precinct in The Rocks called ArgyleXchange. The brand and communications studio won the work following a competitive pitch against two top tier agencies.

Urban Purveyor Group, who own the key venues on Argyle Street and surrounds, including Saké Restaurant & Bar, The Cut Bar & Grill, Ananas Bar & Brasserie and The Argyle, engaged Alphabet to create a new brand for the locality. The branding and subsequent campaign should drive local patronage to the zone, which is home to credible dining, entertainment and nightlife venues, to drive visitor numbers outside of the peak tourist season.

The brand strategy centres on the idea of ‘X marks the spot’ and the creation of an umbrella brand encompassing the precinct and key venues within it. This proposition lead to a new name and identity for the location, revealed on the weekend as ArgyleXchange, launched with the support of a fully integrated campaign.

The Argyle precinct has existed in the minds of Sydneysiders for many years and the Argyle name is strongly established with this pocket of The Rocks. That equity is leveraged for the new brand, but the addition of ‘exchange’ is suggestive of change and introduces the concept of a transfer of ideas and experiences. The brand is realised through identity in a classic but contemporary font, Gotham and the pull-out capitalised ‘X’ refers to the central brand proposition, which when used in isolation as a campaign device, links back to the logo.

To launch ArgyleXchange, Alphabet developed a 360º campaign spanning press, outdoor and online advertising, postcards, street posters, guerrilla marketing activations, a social media campaign and websites.

Using the ‘X marks the spot’ proposition as the lynch pin of the campaign, a teaser phase utilised guerrilla tactics such chalk art and street posters, along with social media and online advertising, to create intrigue using the ‘X’ device in a range of executions.

The reveal phase, which commenced on the weekend, connects the tease images with the destination and new name. The final, delivery phase is a tactical campaign linking the venues to the brand and communicating specific consumer offers, to encourage consumers to visits ArgyleXchange for a range of experiences at any time throughout the day.

The central proposition is carried through to onsite, integrating the ‘X’ device in-situ to identify each venue within ArgyleXchange.

Says Tim Kliendienst, Alphabet’s creative director: “The product on offer is really strong but the biggest opportunity for us is altering perceptions and getting Sydneysiders to think about ArgyleXchange as a one-stop-shop for a sophisticated night out. The intrigue of the “X” and relating it back to the name and destination is pivotal to generating curiosity and driving traffic to the location.”

Says Paul Clark, co-creative director at Alphabet: “The concept invites a lot of individual interpretation. That allows us to reach a range of audiences amongst people aged anywhere from eighteen to 50.”

Says Janna Szangolies, group marketing manager at Urban Purveyor Group: “Sydneysiders are always looking for the next big thing. This branding exercise will allow us to inject fresh interest and create positive associations with our venues. The ArgyleXchange brand created by Alphabet is clever strategically, because we’ve been able to retain the awareness that existed and build a new brand around that, without having to start from scratch with an entirely new name that needed to be redefined and explained.”

The launch campaign launched on the weekend revealed the new name and will be delivered via JC Decaux citylights, a complete cover wrap of mX, press ads in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food section and Timeout magazine, a range of Sydney-specific lifestyle and listings websites, and via social media.

Client: Urban Purveyor Group

Designers: Lara Juriansz & Ashleigh Steel