| Title | SERIOUS PLAY |
| Brand | HSBC |
| Product / Service | HSBC |
| Category | B01. Corporate Image & Information |
| Entrant | JWT LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM |
| Entrant Company: | JWT LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM |
| Sales Promotion/Advertising Agency: | JWT LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM |
| Name | Company | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Clark | Hsbc | Group Head Of Marketing |
| Andrea Newman | Hsbc | Group Head Of Advertising And Marketing Communications |
| Giles Morgan | Hsbc | Group Head Of Sponsorship |
| Heather Link | Hsbc | Head Of Campaign Management |
| Axel Chaldecott | Jwt | Global Creative Director/Teamhsbc |
| Daniel Hennessy | Jwt | Global Creative Director/Teamhsbc |
| Orlando Hooper-Greenhill | Jwt | Chief Strategy Officer/Teamhsbc |
| Kevin Masters | Jwt | Creative |
| Miles Bingham | Jwt | Creative |
| Tanya Hamilton-Smith | Jwt | Board Account Director |
| Rollo Gwyn-Jones | Jwt | Account Manager |
| Stuart Heyburn | Jwt | Head Of Project Management |
| Romila Sanassy | Jwt | Producer |
| Paul Middleditch | Director | |
| Peter Whitemore | The Editors | Editor |
| Andy Packer | Annex Films | Editor |
| Sam Ashwell | 750mph | Sound |
| Rick Guest | Print Photographer | |
| Joe Petyan | Jwt | Executive Partner |
| Lucy Barrett | Jwt | Head Of Pr |
HSBC were returning sponsors to the Hong Kong Sevens after 15 years' absence. They wanted to demonstrate their understanding of this unique event, and show it was good to be back. This required more than a TV advert. We set out to put on an atmospheric event, from building excitement in the run up, to entertaining crowds in between games and finally empathising with the post-weekend hangover. HSBC needed to show they were a bank that could have fun and do justice to this huge social and sporting event in the global rugby and Hong Kong calendar.
To create this atmospheric event and excitement about HSBC's sponsorship, the campaign began with a takeover of the transport infrastructure; from airport arrivals to the daily commute. The film was also placed online for everyone to share and get talking about the event. On the big weekend, people discovered branded hospitality with characters from the film DJing and serving drinks, competitions to win rugby memorabilia and Serious Play merchandise. In the stadium multiple edits played out to keep the crowd cheering on their feet. The Aftermath film was released just after the event, empathising with the city-wide hangover.
The objective of creating excitement and awareness of HSBC's Hong Kong Sevens' sponsorship was evident in the crowd's response. Fans cheered the films when they began. Then they were picked up in numerous blogs, received thousands of tweets, Facebook shares; with close to 500,000 views on YouTube, compared to 30,000 for Cathay's film. Inspired by the film, people turned up in the same fancy dress. Pictures of the creative even featured in fan's personal YouTube videos as a memento of their 2012 Hong Kong Sevens. The pride amongst HSBC's staff was echoed by the Group CEO; calling it 'bloody brilliant'.
Serious Play reflected the build-up, climax and aftermath of the weekend. An outdoor takeover of the city reached thousands of people, with YouTube hosting the films for blogs and fans to share with their friends. Throughout the weekend, the films were shown on stadium screens to get the crowds cheering. Hospitality was branded, DJs dressed up as characters from the film and branded programmes made people feel like they were part of the film and a carnival atmosphere. Following three days of partying hard, HSBC sent a film thanking the fans for their support and empathizing with the city-wide hangover.