Chivas lights up HK outdoor push

Chivas' media agency OMD Hong Kong wrapped a building in the heart of the shopping and entertainment district of Causeway Bay with a lightweight sticker, replicating the windows of an office block. While the office scenes appear in shadow and static, illumination with electroluminescent lightning (EL) technology helps bring the key party visual to life to dramatise the 'Live life like it's Friday' message. The Hang Lung building site is the first of three planned for Chivas, which spent more in advertising in the first seven months of this year than it did for the whole of 2004. "It's an easy job to put up a billboard, but it would have been a static execution," noted Jasmine Lee, OMD account director. "The challenge was to find a suitable location which we could integrate with technology to bring the visual alive." The creative supplied by Tequila\Hong Kong required a building clad in glass and in a high traffic corner location with pubs and karaoke bars nearby. EL technology made the campaign more cost attractive to mount as it dispensed with the need to build large and expensive lightboxes to illuminate the party scenes. A second execution at another key Causeway Bay site is planned to break before Christmas, according to Lee. The brand has also lined up a concert for December 10 as part of its music-based strategy of partnering with lyricists and music producers to create its own event rather than invest in a multi-brand sponsored event. "By working with these people, they will invite their friends -- other pop stars, for instance -- to our event," said Crystal Pang, Pernod Ricard Hong Kong marketing director. The event will feature one of Hong Kong's top composers Wyman Wong, and will be marketed in a promotion with Commercial Radio and 50 bars, giving Chivas drinkers a chance to win CDs and concert tickets.