The Campaign

The core creative idea is that a Hong Kong bro invites 4 famous guys from 4 different Southeast Asian countries to visit Hong Kong, on an all-expenses paid trip, for 5 days with the aim of them experiencing Hong Kong off-the-cuff in a whole new way. In this character-driven scripted reality TV series, audience witnesses how this band of brothers who are total strangers to each other, handle surprises thrown their way as the Hong Kong bro ‘abandoned’ them and each guy needs to plan the itinerary for 1 day. Through this, they explore the different facets of Hong Kong, living it up in the city that doesn’t sleep. Scripted reality programming is one of the biggest trends to hit the millennial audience. Using this format allows Hong Kong to be introduced as the IT place to be for new audience while inspiring repeat visitors to experience it for themselves.

Creative Execution

We focused on 360? targeting of the audience, anchored by a TV series across 5 x 1-hour weekly prime time episodes. Driving pre-publicity is key to the success. KOLs’ were actively posting their experiences in Hong Kong on social media, and even after the trip to build continuity to airing. The dedicated programme’s Facebook and Instagram accounts were also pushed teasers weeks before airing, riding the theme of what makes an Ultimate Brocation. Closer to launch, media gatherings and interviews were conducted in each market with each KOL highlighting their favourite uniquely Hong Kong experiences and “insider” tips were also seeded to pique curiosity and drive PR coverage. Print advertorials fronted by the KOLs were pushed out on local media channels to complement PR coverage. A regional Watch-and-Win contest was held to generate viewer stickiness, and was amplified via on-air publicity spots, dedicated promotion sites by different markets’ broadcast networks.

This series showcase why Hong Kong is truly the Ultimate Boys’ Playground, evident from best-in-class ratings and high publicity value, underpinned by a strong digital engagement plan yielding 54.8million impressions, engagements, views, making this one of the top shows for KIX in 2016, exceeding expected KPIs. Strong head start with the premiere: • #1 among English entertainment channels in Philippines • #1 among English entertainment channels in Malaysia • Highest rated of any reality series in 2016 in Philippines The media amplifications yielded outstanding results: • HKD13 million publicity value (+30% vs KPI) • 50 million social media impressions (+150%) • 2.1 million social media engagements (+110%) • 2.7 million video views (+80%) • 2.6 million TV views (+45% vs target) 2 additional reruns were negotiated after the successful premiere, maximising ROI, visibility and viewability. Sources: • Kantar Media (National Philippines) • Kantar Media (Malaysia DTAM); Live data. • SG-TAM

Every destination bills itself as the choice for the young and adventurous. Hong Kong, though world-famous, faces the challenge of being a shopping & dining destination with nothing exciting for the boys. To challenge deep-seated perceptions, we worked with KIX, a regional entertainment TV channel targeting males, to position Hong Kong’s brand DNAs to gain engagement and buy-in through a character-driven scripted reality series as destination promotion needs sights, sounds, and a dose of exciting entertainment. 4 famous guys from SEA, lend market resonance & authenticity, trigger interest to tune in and position Hong Kong as the Ultimate Boys’ Playground.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Facing a region of diverse needs, we adopted the strategy of localising to reach out to each market’s young trendhunters. We tapped the strong relevance and influence of each market’s KOLs to brand the content and build authenticity. The KOLs ranged from award-winning Muslim hip hop artist, a famous actor with a taste for adventure and maverick chef who enjoys messing with his food, to ‘Casanova’ TV host who lives and loves the high life. These personalities each represent a facet of Hong Kong that we want to portray – Muslim friendliness, outdoors, dining, and the luxury life. With a shift in travellers’ preference for authenticity, the experiences the KOLs enjoyed were an introduction to such locals’ gems, challenging the preconception of “been there, done that”. Apart from running a regional campaign on a regional network, we employ top in-market media channels to extend greater reach to