Title | UNBEATEN PATHS |
Brand | INCHCAPE (LEXUS) HONG KONG |
Product / Service | LEXUS UX |
Category | B08. Sponsorship & Brand Partnership |
Entrant | TBWA\HONG KONG, HONG KONG SAR |
Idea Creation | TBWA\HONG KONG, HONG KONG SAR |
Media Placement | MINDSHARE Hong Kong, HONG KONG SAR |
Production | TBWA\HONG KONG, HONG KONG SAR |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Jan Cho | TBWA Hong Kong | Managing Director |
Jerome Ooi | TBWA Hong Kong | Executive Creative Director |
Terence Ling | TBWA Hong Kong | Head of Strategy |
Pauline Wong | TBWA Hong Kong | Director of Client Services |
Joe Choi | TBWA Hong Kong | Group Creative Director |
Mikey Batt | TBWA Hong Kong | Associate Creative Director |
Mike Choy | TBWA Hong Kong | Design Director |
David Cheang | TBWA Hong Kong | Senior Strategist |
Kaki Li | TBWA Hong Kong | Account Director |
Anne Chan | TBWA Hong Kong | Head of Digital |
Minji Pyen | TBWA Hong Kong | Digital Art Director |
Yvonne Ng | TBWA Hong Kong | Digital Art Director |
Jeffrey Lee | TBWA Hong Kong | Social Strategist |
Chu Kei Chan | TBWA Hong Kong | Web Developer |
Juno Kam | TBWA Hong Kong | Screen Producer |
Louis Tang | TBWA Hong Kong | Integrated Producer |
Matthew Yu | TBWA Hong Kong | Digital Producer |
Gerald Tam | TBWA Hong Kong | Director of Social |
Joyce Tsang | TBWA Hong Kong | Content Director |
Yammy Tse | TBWA Hong Kong | Social Content Manager |
Kenneth Law | TBWA Hong Kong | Social Content Manager |
Scarlett Zhou | TBWA Hong Kong | Account Executive |
Unbeaten Paths is a test drive campaign for the Hong Kong launch of the all-new Lexus UX, a crossover built for urban exploration. By partnering with trendy lifestyle destinations around the city that needed help being discovered - the small, creative businesses forced to relocate from the high street to the hidden corners of the city due to high rents - we created an authentic and meaningful urban exploration experience for millennial consumers. Through these partnerships with small businesses, we were able to establish the Lexus UX as a brand that cares about preserving the cultural heartbeat of the city.
The all-new Lexus UX is a crossover built for urban exploration. But in Hong Kong, a city of astronomical rents, unique lifestyle destinations grow fewer and fewer by the day. For most independent shops, galleries, studios and cafes, the only affordable locations are in the least visited corners of the city. So what good is a car built for urban exploration if there’s nothing left to explore? We needed to inspire millennial drivers to rethink what the city could offer them and give them a new way to experience it.
A DATA-DRIVEN TEST DRIVE THAT PUT INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES BACK ON THE MAP We created Unbeaten Paths, a data-driven test drive experience that connected millennial consumers who love exploring with small creative businesses that needed help to be discovered. Throughout the initial campaign period, our test drive experience led each driver on a journey to uncover the hidden lifestyle gems in their city that were most relevant to their interests. In addition to creating unique Instagrammable experiences for our millennial audience, we generated quality leads for small businesses that were eager for more traffic.
TO LAUNCH THE CAR, WE NEEDED TO RE-LAUNCH THE CITY. The Lexus UX is an urban explorer targeted at millennials – a group always on the hunt for novel experiences that can enhance their social status. But this can be a futile exercise for them in this city. Due to the constant influx of mainland Chinese tourists, landlords have driven up retail rents. Today, Russell Street in Causeway Bay is the world’s most expensive retail location, beating 5th Avenue in New York. Only deep-pocketed global chains such as McDonald’s and LVMH can afford this. For small businesses, the only options are far away from the high street. Because of this monotonous environment, 57% of our target audience travel at least three times a year to find Instagrammable activities. CREATIVE CHALLENGE: INSPIRE STATUS-HUNGRY LOCALS TO RE-EXAMINE A FAMILIAR CONCRETE JUNGLE. Otherwise, what use is a car that's built for urban exploration?
We created a digital test-drive platform that pulled data from various sources to map out unique test-drive experiences for each driver. This platform was populated with dozens of small businesses that were curated with the help of leading lifestyle publications. Before each test drive, the platform harnessed each driver’s interest and location data from Facebook and used it to map out personalised routes to destinations they had never previously visited. To showcase the UX’s urban exploration qualities, we used real-time traffic and mapping data from Google that allowed drivers to select different driving conditions such as windy roads, long straights and hill climbs. It also ensured a pleasurable uninterrupted driving experience. In addition, we created a UX VIP partnership programme offering incentives such as discounts and trials at each of the small businesses. Our campaign ran for 12 consecutive weekends out of multiple test-drive pickup locations across Hong Kong.
Within only a 12-weekend period, the campaign resulted in record test drive bookings and sales. Lexus senior management have been deeply impressed by this success, and have decided to turn Unbeaten Paths into an ongoing platform at the showroom. 22,954,011 free impressions generated for small businesses. 208 Unbeaten Paths were created during the campaign. Average 8.7 paths created each day in the 24-day period allocated for test-drives. 211% more test drives completed than the previous campaign. 4 times higher conversion rate from lead to test drive vs the previous campaign. Average of 2 cars sold every day during the campaign, generating over US$7M in sales revenue. Every dollar invested into the campaign generated $24 worth of sales in return. What’s more, small businesses gain access to quality traffic and millennials get to rediscover their home city. It’s a triple win situation that helps both business and culture in Hong Kong.