MOST FAMOUS CAT IN HONG KONG

TitleMOST FAMOUS CAT IN HONG KONG
BrandSAMSUNG
Product / ServiceSAMSUNG SMARTPHONE AND TABLET
CategoryA01. Best Fictional Program, Series or Film where a client has successfully created a drama, comedy or miniseries around a product or brand
EntrantSTARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Hong Kong, HONG KONG
Contributing Company BUSPAK Hong Kong, HONG KONG
Entrant Company STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Hong Kong, HONG KONG
Media Agency STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Hong Kong, HONG KONG

Credits

Name Company Position
Gareth Lee Starcom Mediavest Group Media Executive
George Lee Starcom Mediavest Group Manager
Wai Chung Au Starcom Mediavest Group Director

The Campaign

TV is still the major source of entertainment in Hongkong. Despite the increased number of international programs, local TV dramas remain as the most popular programs for mass audiences and the celebrities they create are like honey for fans and brands alike. While brands are keen to align closely with these series, due to market domination by leading TV Station, TVB, branded entertainment is usually limited to simple program sponsorships or product placement. As a result and despite the high cost, primetime TV dramas featuring the best-known celebrities are highly cluttered with product placements. Brands have started to explore branded content collaborations with the rising tribe of social media celebrities. Yet even here, partnerships are still limited to straightforward product placements in webisodes, bringing limited exposure compared to TV. The better known online celebrities are attracting as much clutter as the TV stars to their fan pages or online media sites. To truly leverage the influential power of social celebrities in Hong Kong, a more creative collaboration is required.

Results

By continually using overseas advertising content, Samsung phones were still considered to be a distant brand in HongKong, lagging behind that “other” international option. We needed to localise content and spokesperson, but Samsung could not justify expensive local productions. Proud of its heritage and influence in film, canto-pop and TV drama, HongKong shamelessly loves its celebrities and fans have always appreciated brands that align with their beloved icons. But megastars are expensive and produce diminishing returns through over-exposure across multiple brands. In recent years non-traditional social-media celebrities have emerged, often with cult followings that prove far stickier and involved than for traditional stars. Importantly, these fans are invariably young, influential early adopters of technology, helping to take favoured brand exposure to wider social populations. However these too were often quickly overexposed, so we had to think differently about a local celebrity and content to reflect the creativity of choosing Samsung devices over the “easy option”. How much more “different” can you get than a cat from an ordinary convenience store? “BrotherCream” had grown a local fanbase thanks to some young shoppers creating a Facebook page that gave “voice” to his “opinions” and habits. In keeping with the cultish nature of BrotherCream’s celebrity, we partnered an in-bus TV company to create a series bringing the cat – and Samsung devices – to life for a wider audience. Samsung devices were integrated into content and communications in creative ways (BrotherCream talking on phone, BrotherCream using GPS, BrotherCream doodle contests). Announcements on BrotherCream’s Facebook page and wrapped bus-exteriors prompted a bus-hunt by fans keen to view the content and get involved. By respecting the local, organic nature of BrotherCream’s fame and the creativity of his contributors, we successfully drew parallels with the innovations found in the latest Samsung phones and tablets.

The BrotherCream film episodes were broadcasted and made available on multiple platforms, including in-bus TV-network, online and mobile. We made full use of the in-bus TV network assets to first tease and then promote the series. BrotherCream’s existing Facebook fanbase was leveraged to help spread word about upcoming episodes, igniting contageous conversation and significantly growing his following. Two fully wrapped buses promoted the series, causing hundreds of fans to “hunt” out and share the location of the “Cream” buses. Anticipation amongst fans and curious newcomers was high, even before the episodes were launched.

For a cat from a convenience store in Tsim Sha Tsui with a cult local following, BrotherCream proved to have true star power for Samsung. • Through In-bus TV network, each episode reached nearly 1.6mil people, captive in their seats. • Through online and mobile platforms, over 100,000 views of the content was made. • BrotherCream’s Facebook fans rose by 33% to over 130,000 fans, many to catch up with news of the Samsung contents. • Over 3,000 conversations were started about the campaign, with positive appreciation of how Samsung had brought BrotherCream to a wider audience. • By further reinforcing Samsung’s creative image and make strong engagements with the social media tribe, the program had help Samsung sustain its market leadership over Apple in 2013.