Image Source: Wesgroup

As the average price of a home in Vancouver surpassed $1 million,  March 2015 saw young working professionals head to Twitter to protest the price of housing by posting images of themselves with cardboard signs displaying age, sex, occupation, and the hashtag #DontHave1Million. The issue is close to the hearts of middle-class Millennials in Vancouver.

Statistics Canada shows the average home size back in 1970 was 1,050 sq. ft. and the families occupying them averaged 3.5 people. Fast-forward to 2006, the average family decreased to 2.5 people, while average home size actually increased to 1,900 sq. ft.

With the earlier protest still fresh in the minds of Vancouverites, Wesgroup wanted to challenge the expectations of the Millennial market and provide alternative solutions. They designed a campaign using the hashtag #DontNeed1Million to communicate that several of their developments offers spacious, convenient living without the price tag of a single detached home.

The campaign included a content strategy complete with various resident interviews to populate several project news pages and newsletters. The residents in the posts are pictured with cardboard signs featuring the hashtag, just like the original protest campaign. They also created an infographic outlining data that addresses the expectation that it takes $1 million to buy a home in Vancouver.

Visit The River District and The Brewery District to see campaign content. Huffpost BC picked up the infographic as well.