Doosan E&C's We've The Zenith tops high-end apartment brand awareness survey

Survey of 3,388 consumers nationwide conducted by Real Estate 114 and Turnaround

Brand favorability and intent to reside both rise across the country

Doosan Engineering & Construction's brand patterns applied to apartment complex exteriors. We've is shown on the left, We've The Zenith on the right. [Doosan Engineering & Construction]

We've The Zenith, the high-end apartment brand of Doosan Engineering & Construction, ranked first in both high-end brand awareness and regional landmark brand recognition, according to a survey conducted last month by Real Estate 114 and Turnaround.

Real Estate 114 said Monday the results came from its "Apartment Brand Competitiveness Diagnostic Survey," which polled 3,388 consumers nationwide from Aug. 5 to Aug. 13.

"We've The Zenith has rapidly established a presence in key hub cities, building broad public recognition," a Real Estate 114 official said. "As a landmark complex representing its region, the brand has expanded its standing while earning positive evaluations from buyers for its product quality, which reflects residential trends, and its refined brand image."

We've The Zenith has also contributed to improving perceptions of We've, Doosan Engineering & Construction's flagship brand. Among respondents who said they were familiar with We've, more than half — 52.2 percent — said their perception of the brand had improved over the past two to three years, selecting either "has changed very positively" or "has changed somewhat positively."

Survey results on high-end apartment brand awareness and landmark brand recognition. [Real Estate 114]

The most commonly cited reason for the positive shift was "a sense that brand competitiveness has improved," chosen by 33.3 percent of respondents. Greater Seoul residents gave that response at a rate of 33.9 percent, compared with 32.5 percent outside the metropolitan area, suggesting consumers in the capital region are more likely to perceive We've as a stronger brand.

Respondents outside the Greater Seoul area most frequently cited "a more refined brand design and image" as the top driver of positive change, at 35.8 percent. Doosan Engineering & Construction unveiled pattern designs in 2024 that visualized the brand identities of both We've and Zenith, as part of efforts to sharpen brand differentiation and elevate spatial design. Those branding efforts appear to have translated into the shift in consumer perception.

The change in perception of We've was also reflected in brand favorability and intent-to-reside scores. On a seven-point scale — ranging from 1 ("strongly disagree") to 7 ("strongly agree") — nationwide brand favorability rose from 4.87 in 2025 to 4.98 in 2026, a gain of 0.11 points, while intent to reside climbed from 4.99 to 5.05 over the same period, up 0.06 points.

A bird's-eye rendering of Doosan We've The Zenith Daeyeon. [Doosan Engineering & Construction]

Brand favorability among Greater Seoul residents rose 0.12 points, from 4.84 in 2025 to 4.96 in 2026, outpacing the nationwide gain of 0.11 points. Real Estate 114 said the recent positive shift in perceptions of We've is translating into stronger brand favorability and intent to reside among metropolitan-area consumers. The survey, jointly conducted by Real Estate 114 and Turnaround, carries a margin of error of plus or minus 1.68 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

"We've, which marks its 25th anniversary this year, is leveraging the brand assets it has built over decades to strengthen the competitiveness of its high-end line, We've The Zenith," a Real Estate 114 official said. "A defining feature is how the brand has extended its reach into the Greater Seoul housing market, drawing on the recognition and trust it has accumulated as a long-established name."

Meanwhile, Doosan Engineering & Construction posted second-quarter revenue of 405.1 billion won ($301 million) and operating profit of 42.7 billion won. The company has been selected as the contractor for Seoul's first and second urban public housing complex projects and is pressing ahead with those developments, while focusing on improving profitability by managing costs through selective order intake.

hope@heraldcorp.com