Solvil taking HK branding across Asia

The regional roll-out will begin in Thailand in May followed by Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan in August.

Bates subsidiary BGX Asia, which created the platform to emphasise independence as Solvil contemporised its image, convinced the client to unify its regional positioning after receiving positive feedback in Thailand. There were initial concerns that the positioning would not reasonate in Thailand, one of the biggest markets for the brand, said Simon Siu, BGX's managing/creative director.

But a web-based research effort to test last year's creative - jointly developed by BGX and Hotdog Creative - found that the 18-25 target segment did relate to the positioning although they felt the advertising was "remote", said BGX planner Rachel Tse.

Siu said two Hong Kong consumer test groups also voiced similar sentiments that the executions were remote. Executions tested included one showing a woman driving a car to her husband and another with a young graduate going travelling, set against a mountain scene.

For the Thai campaign, BGX is developing a series of fashion-type ads, featuring a day in the life of a well-known Thai presenter. Associate account director, Kathy Cheng, said the execution would allow Solvil to include an element of romance, a traditional feature of the brand's image.

Press and outdoor campaigns are planned for Hong Kong, featuring two creative executions as well as separate executions for this year's Christmas and next year's Valentine's Day shopping season.