Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation ?

The Hong Kong-first Arts Train, turned a mundane commute into a mobile, living art gallery, making art accessible to the public during Hong Kong Arts Month. Travelling through the cabins, passengers can be transported through themed zones inspired by local street art, traditional Chinese art and classical western art. To enhance the experience and engagement, passengers could see art coming alive on the train with Augmented Reality and the face-swap function on their mobile devices. The campaign had aroused so much interest that some people dressed up as the persona in the art and made ‘appearances’ in the Arts Train.

Background

Background Hong Kong has always been known as a financial hub and for its shopping and dining experiences. With the backdrop of Hong Kong needing to build up its image as an art destination to compete with other Asian destinations, Hong Kong Arts Month, an annual program that promotes an array of art events in town, was key to be leveraged to engage with the public and to advocate Hong Kong’s diverse art scene. Brief To promote Hong Kong Arts Month (HKAM) and create greater brand registration. HKAM celebrates diversity in art, but weak ‘HK’ and ‘Art’ association limits interest and brand registration. Communications objectives three objectives were set to tackle the challenges mentioned above. 1. To create stronger association between “HK” and “art”. 2. To create greater brand registration for Hong Kong Arts Month 3. To increase interest in and awareness of the diverse art forms that HK offers.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

People assume that Hong Kong’s position as a financial hub but art pervades Hong Kong. During HKAM, people in Hong Kong could immerse themselves in everything from major international art shows, to countless local art exhibitions and one-of-a-kind street art installations. This was an opportune time to grasp the attention of locals and tourists and amplify the message: Hong Kong = Diverse and vibrant art scene With this insight: Art itself has the power to stop people in their tracks and move mindsets, we knew art is potentially more motivating than any traditional advertising. People in Hong Kong lead busy lives. We just needed a way to bring art to them in an unexpected way and help them to see the breadth of art that’s available in the city. The idea – A mundane commute turned into an immersive cultural experience in an interactive, mobile art gallery.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Target audience - Art lovers or spectators, and “cool hunters” Hong Kong locals and in-town visitors who are inspired by creativity. They enjoy exploring, and are often the first to engage with new experiences. Media planning – Domination of MTR train & Admiralty MTR platform MTR is the main mode of transportation in Hong Kong, and was the best channel to literally bring art to the people, addressing the misperception that art is inaccessible in Hong Kong. The dominated train ran on the Island line, connecting the key art happenings on the Hong Kong Island and allowed us to reach our target effectively. To extend the awareness beyond the Island, the biggest transit station connecting the Island with Kowloon and New territories, Admiralty MTR platform, was also dominated. Other channels including social media, digital and printed advertisement were also adopted to promote HKAM.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

Passengers could experience five art-themed zones in the Arts Train. To enhance engagement, we brought art pieces to life with AR and face-swap function on mobile devices. While we delivered art to the passengers, the passengers were also delivered to many art happenings by the MTR. Five themed zones: HK Neon Signs - Inspired by unique local art form – neon signage on Nathan Road in the 70s and 80s Porcelain Gallery - Featured Hong Kong’s most iconic scenic spots, with playfully animated scenes such as dragon boat race in Victoria Harbor came alive Portrait Gallery - Showcased a collection of the finest Western and Eastern portraits in history Cantonese Opera–Featured Hong Kong’s most iconic performing art. Passengers could activate the face-swap function for a fun makeover of the Cantonese Opera look. Street Art-Featured well-known HK street art in Central and a creative artwork by Parents Parents for HKAM.

List the results (30% of vote)

Earned Over HK$700,000 Media Coverage We earned media coverage with international and local online media throughout the campaign. Thus, reaching out more relevant and potential target audiences to maximize campaign exposures. Enormous buzz was created around the Arts Train, at a point that some people dressed up as the persona in the art and made “appearances” in the train. Strengthen brand registration for Hong Kong Arts Month and the association between “Hong Kong” and “Art”. All metrics below outperformed previous year’s benchmark, and demonstrated that by making the diversity of art more accessible and “visible” to our audience, the association between ‘HK’ and ‘Art’ can be strengthened. During 1-31 March 2019, the following were achieved: 1) “Hong Kong Arts Month” key word search was increased by 167% 2) Mentions of “Hong Kong Arts Month” was increased by 33% 3) Mentions of “Hong Kong” and “Art” was increased by 11%