When the well-established Hongkong Standard newspaper decided to
relaunch as Hongkong iMail, McCann-Erickson Guangming Hong Kong was
tasked with establishing a positioning for the revamped title as a "new
generation newspaper for today's X Generation".
A thematic campaign was devised, creating empathy with the target
audience by featuring real-life readers of iMail.
The media strategy required high visibility, and the second wave of the
campaign saw heavy use of out-of-home media.
Bus shelters and Mega Rear bus ads created familiarity with the campaign
via posters; this was then reinforced with the use of
strategically-placed mannequins at locations frequented by the target
group.
The mannequins were dressed to reflect the target audience, and placed
inside buses and at Hong Kong International Airport, as well as in
popular bars and restaurants throughout the SAR.
In addition, 25 models were recruited to mingle among crowds in heavily
trafficked areas - all prominently seen reading the latest edition of
iMail.
Publisher Nigel Oakins said, "In order to win loyal readers, it was
essential to buy media that really confronted potential readers in the
environments they are most likely to be reading a newspaper."
- This ongoing National Geographic Showcase series features selected
material from winners and other entries in the Best Use of Media
category in MEDIA's Agency of the Year Awards 2000.
