Property developer Craft Homes has made R381 million in home sales after a mystery campaign built around a red wall in Bryanston, Johannesburg, according to Daily Investor.
The company has sold 91 freestanding homes at its new Bryanston Country Estate. The campaign cost R1.31 million, excluding VAT.
The idea started with a wall at the corner of Grosvenor Road and Bryanston Drive. It was painted red, and short, puzzling messages were added to it over several weeks.
At first, nobody was told that Craft Homes was behind the wall. People were asked to guess who owned it, with a R50,000 prize on offer through a website and a Facebook page.
The mystery spread through local WhatsApp groups, social media and radio. Big brands Spar and Tabasco then joined in and seemed to claim the wall as their own.
Craft Homes answered by changing the message on the wall. It read: “Cute, Tabasco. The real heat is still coming.”
The competition drew 6,400 entries, and 800 people came to the official launch. The campaign had more than 370,000 views on TikTok.
It also reached more than 252,000 people on X and more than 380,000 people on Facebook.
The mystery ended with a key event for five finalists. Richard Bussell opened the winning door and took home the R50,000 prize.
Craft Homes chief executive Reinier van Loggerenberg said the company’s own marketing team created the campaign. He said the goal was to build interest in the estate before the homes were marketed directly.
The campaign won a Silver Award for Best Online Competition by a Corporate. This was at the 2026 WesBank New Generation Social and Digital Media Awards.
At those awards, the Craft Homes team competed against brands such as Volkswagen, Dis-Chem, Telkom, Unilever and Vodacom. Agencies such as Ogilvy also took part.
Bryanston Country Estate is part of a move towards estate and sectional title living in Bryanston. In the suburb, large plots and old smallholdings are being split into smaller developments.
The estate has one and two-bedroom apartments. It also has a clubhouse with a pool, a gym and shared braai areas.
Craft Homes is also building three and four-bedroom freestanding homes. Prices for these homes start at R3.6 million.
The company is also trying to attract property investors. Craft Homes said some upgraded two-bedroom units could earn gross yields of up to 11.50%.
The developer said combined rental income on these units could reach R20,000 a month. It projected net yields of up to 9%, depending on the type of unit.
Source: this article is based on reporting by Daily Investor. Image: Daily Investor. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Business desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Anelisa Nkuna covers business and money news for Tzaneen Voice. Anelisa reports on the rand, fuel prices, interest rates, jobs, Eskom, Transnet, farming and company results. The aim is simple: explain what the numbers mean for household budgets, small businesses and workers in South Africa.