The song - 'Half catty, eight taels' - from the movie of the same name starring singer/actor Sam Hui was selected because it identifies with the average person who is working hard to make ends meets.
The campaign was developed by DDB, which changed the lyrics to accompany several lighthearted executions of the lengths people go to save money before outliningParkNShop's core brand values - great value at low prices.
Scenarios include a man taking a bath and washing his family's clothes at the same time and a woman taking away toilet paper from a public rest room. ParkNShop head of marketing, Laurie Lai, said that the song was chosen because "it was popular in the 1970s when times were tough and people were struggling to make ends meet". She added that 'Half catty, eight taels' and many other Sam Hui songs are considered classics in Hong Kong.
Added DDB Hong Kong chief operating officer Mark Crouch: "The song is known by all people of all ages and is something of a working class anthem."
The campaign departs from the previous strategy of highlighting how consumers economise and how the supermarket chain can help them.
ParkNShop managing director, Ian Pye, said: "We know from consumer research that people want to see that advertisers understand the tough economic times but don't necessarily want to be shown gloomy or depressing depictions of this hardship. This campaign takes a lighthearted but understanding approach to this serious situation."
The basis of the message, Crouch noted, was that "ParkNShop understands the situation of consumers".
Given the harsh current economic situation, exacerbated by the outbreak of atypical pneumonia in the city, ParkNShop is currently embroiled in an intensifying price war against main rival Wellcome. The latter has a celebrity endorser, actress Dodo Cheng, fronting its efforts. However, Lai stressed that ParkNShop was featuring the song and not the singer in its bid to reinforce an empathetic bond with consumers.
But she acknowledged that Hui was a good fit in any case because of his friendly and never-say-die attitude. The campaign also includes the distribution of flyers in which shoppers fill in the blanks to complete the new ParkNShop lyrics to obtain an HK$80 (about US$10) discount coupon on a range of selected products.
