Do good, do well
The lack of affordable housing across Los Angeles is exacerbating the homelessness crisis. The pandemic and economic slowdown is only making it worse. And while so much of the focus has been on renters, landlords and property owners have a big role to play in housing. LeaseUp, a PATH initiative, offers a solution that benefits everyone. The program matches unhoused, rent-ready tenants with property managers and owners who have vacant units.
1 — The Challenge
Creating a compelling message that attracts an ever-increasing pool of property owners and managers
To make a dent in the homelessness crisis, LA County needs more rentable units in the marketplace. Simple right? Well it turns out that property managers and owners didn’t know about the LeaseUp program. Fundamentally shifting many landlords’ preconceived negative stereotypes about people experiencing homelessness as renters and with government-funded voucher programs was a difficult sell—at first. Swell partnered with LeaseUp to develop creative that strikes the right balance of intrigue, candor, capitalist incentivisation, and ethical persuasion to get a highly targeted (and critical) audience to not only learn more but join the program.
2 — The Brand
Bespoke, fun, and attention-grabbing
We took a cue from PATH’s colorful branding and created a sub brand that felt both playful and techy. With the goal of quickly grabbing our audience’s attention, we developed an illustration and animation style that’s engaging and something you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a housing initiative. For renters, landlords, and the general public alike, this is a brand that felt accessible, and a program that anyone would feel good about being a participant in. Taking a cue from Silicon Valley philosophers, the idea was to create something simple, unique, and forward-thinking.
Identity Evolution — While we maintained the existing logo, color palette, and elements from the PATH and LeaseUp brands, we evolved their usage in application and emphasized color usage.
Bringing pixels to life
Kicking things off with a splash of animation, we turned a tangled web of processes into a breezy, fun journey. Our master plan? To morph the brand into everyone’s friendly neighborhood go-to, making it as easy to understand as your favorite comic book
3 — The Website
Here’s why property owners prefer LeaseUp
Swell created a website that quickly and succinctly outlines the benefits of participating in LeaseUp and offers multiple easy entry points to get started. We set out to provide property owners and managers with compelling reasons to rent through LeaseUp, demonstrate why the program is more reliable and customer service-oriented than traditional rental agencies, and answer any questions that might come up. We also created a clear pathway for service providers who are looking for housing for their clients.
Website — Our responsive website was built to quickly answer high-level questions about the program and guide users to actionable next steps and information.
Landlords Animation — The magic of animation isn’t just in the motion—it’s in the multitude of voices, faces, and stories it brings to life. We worked to weave a tapestry of diverse characters and scenarios, to ensure that everyone finds a piece of themselves in the story.
4 — The Campaign
Let’s go where landlords go
We ran an advertising program that reached landlords, property owners, and developers. We generated 10 million impressions across traditional social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google, and LinkedIn as well as trade-specific platforms such as The Real Deal, Globe St., and Apartment Age Magazine. These impressions generated over 140,000 unique website visitors and over 4,000 program signups for prospective members, which resulted in bringing in over 6,500 units in the first couple years of the campaign.
Hit the brakes on the scroll — We craft each social media moment to be an instant eye-catcher, blending standout creativity with pinpoint audience targeting to transform every ad and post into an open invitation for engagement.
Social Media — Great content targeted to hard to reach audiences.
By landlords, for landlords
Property owners and managers want to hear from people they trust. In addition to creating a traditional “anthem” video, we invited a few different program participants—including two well-respected property owners who are active in the community—to share why they prefer working with LeaseUp. The unscripted nature of the interviews, threaded together with playful interstitial cards, sends a message of authenticity and a genuine investment in the program.
Videos — Videos that featured existing partners of LeaseUp provided validating content for skeptical audiences.
A popular champion
Who better to boost the credibility of the campaign than LA’s own Mayor Eric Garcetti? With his soaring popularity and trust across the city, Mayor Garcetti stepped into the spotlight as our champion. His endorsement isn’t just a name drop—it’s a trust signal, amplifying our message with the kind of authority that only comes from LA’s top leader (at the time).
5 — The Redesign
A new spotlight on humanity
As our audience grew savvy to the value offer, we shifted the scenery—bringing photography and first-person narratives to the forefront. This evolution wasn’t just about aesthetics; it was about connection. By spotlighting real stories and vivid visuals, we provided a window into the personal journeys of developers just like the people we were trying to reach. This pivot didn’t just humanize the brand; it made every success story relatable and every snapshot a testament to the real-life impact of our work.
Photography — We worked with Noé Montes to capture real landlords, property managers, and tenants that benefit from the Lease Up program
Ads Redesign — A shift in the way we used the Lease Up brand and the participants created renewed enthusiasm around our ad campaign.
A Conversation — We wanted property managers to quickly see themselves in the creative.
A Validator — Fast Company is a trusted source for our target audience.
Ads — Part of the new approach was to illustrate the personal connection and shared benefits of tenants and landlords alike using LeaseUp.
6 — The Impact
Improved lives
Through our initiative, thousands of landlords and renters have connected, leading to increased access to stable and affordable housing for people in need. This campaign has tangibly improved living conditions, demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach in building sustainable communities.