Haso

Almost like owning

but thankfully not quite

Finns are known to be a nation of homeowners. But why? Ownership is expensive, demanding, risky—and even stressful. What if there were an option that combined the best parts of owning and renting, that allows you simply to relax… Wait a minute—that’s exactly what right-of-occupancy housing is!

This insight inspired the concept and campaign we developed together with Haso, boldly challenging the traditional Finnish homeownership dream.

Client

Haso (Helsingin Asumisoikeus Oy) is a company fully owned by the City of Helsinki and part of the Helsinki Group. Haso develops and offers right-of-occupancy homes in some of the capital region’s best locations, at accessible prices.

Challenger

Right-of-occupancy housing has long suffered from a lack of awareness. Finns—who strongly favour homeownership—often don’t even remember this option when choosing a new home.

Yet when residents are asked about their experiences, the model sounds almost too good to be true: no large mortgages or rent, renovations and maintenance are taken care of, moving is easy and fast, and there’s no need to worry about selling your old home.

Solution

Housing marketing often falls into blandness. Familiar and “safe” messages don’t stand out or stick. Happy families and polite neighbours have been seen a thousand times before. If future home-seekers were going to remember Haso, we needed to do something bold and unexpected.

“Republic surprised us with a bold idea that managed to turn deeply ingrained thinking upside down and uncover something about Haso that no one else had dared—or even realised—to say before.”
Kaisa Remes, sales and marketing director, Haso

The result was a concept and campaign slogan that says out loud—perhaps for the first time ever—that ownership isn’t always the best or smartest way to live. Or at least, not the most relaxed one. With Haso, you can put your feet up and enjoy while someone else does the work. And that’s exactly what we showed in the campaign executions. Your home, our work. Welcome to Haso!