The Chapel Street Precinct Association (CSPA) set out to reinvigorate the Chapel Street precinct and restore its reputation as one of Melbourne’s most iconic cultural, retail, and lifestyle destinations. Following a period of reduced foot traffic and perception challenges, the objective of the campaign was to drive mass awareness across Melbourne, reposition the precinct as a vibrant hub for food, fashion, and entertainment, and ultimately support local businesses through increased visitation. The campaign aimed to reconnect Melburnians and tourists with the unique personality of Chapel Street while showcasing its diverse offering across key verticals.
Chapel Street is one of Melbourne’s most vibrant cultural destinations, but in a city saturated with lifestyle precincts, reclaiming relevance required more than just awareness. It demanded timing, scale, and cultural alignment. With over 1.6 million combined attendees, the Australian Open and Formula 1 Grand Prix provided the ideal opportunity to reach an engaged, experience-seeking audience reflective of Chapel Street’s core demographic.
The strategy was a multi-layered approach, designed to connect with audiences during culturally rich, high-energy moments in Melbourne’s calendar – the Australian Open and Formula 1 Grand Prix. These iconic events served as the perfect backdrop to showcase Chapel Street’s diverse offering and vibrant personality.
Each of the precinct’s key verticals – fashion, food, beauty, nightlife, and retail – was brought to life through distinct creative executions, allowing the campaign to speak directly to varied audience interests. By aligning message and moment, the campaign not only celebrated the unique identity of Chapel Street but did so in a way that felt timely, relevant, and impossible to ignore.
The solution was a strategic out of home advertising campaign developed to re-establish Chapel Street’s presence within Melbourne’s cultural heartbeat. It came to life through a striking tram wrap that travelled through the CBD and inner suburbs, serving as a dynamic, city-wide showcase of the precinct’s vibrant identity. This mobile execution was amplified by targeted bursts of street furniture, strategically placed to capture foot traffic from Flinders Street Station to Melbourne Park during the Australian Open, and along key commuter routes to Albert Park for the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Together, these bold and considered placements ensured sustained visibility across multiple high-traffic touchpoints during two of Melbourne’s most iconic events.
Originally projected to reach just under 20% of Melburnians 18+ at a frequency of 4.1x, the final campaign exceeded expectations, reaching 32.9% of the audience an average of 4.5 times. With the addition of extra value we were able to negotiate, the cost per thousand impressions (CPM) dropped by 44%. Beyond media delivery, the campaign sparked a measurable uplift in brand search volume and foot traffic to the precinct, as event-goers and locals were reminded of all that Chapel Street has to offer. By tapping into Melbourne’s most iconic cultural moments, the campaign didn’t just generate awareness, it reignited curiosity and drove action.
“The campaign exceeded all our expectations. Hawkeye Advertising delivered not just high impact and visibility, but a smart, strategic media rollout that truly helped to re-energise the precinct. Their ability to think beyond the brief and identify opportunities we hadn’t considered made a genuine impact on results and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome.”
– Matt Lanigan, General Manager,
Chapel Street Precinct Association
