Close
Download PDF
True to its name, the Hong Kong Summer Fun "Shop.Eat.Play" (HKSF) campaign delighted even the most discerning visitors with all the amazing surprises one could ask for in a holiday. Visitors were treated to a range of attractive packages, lucky draws and citywide rewards we solicited through vigorous trade cooperation. Together with our comprehensive public relations and consumer communications initiatives, the summer promotion was an excellent demonstration of the industry's determination to power up Hong Kong's tourism.
A great vacation starts with well-thought-out planning, and we understand that everyone could do with a bit of inspiration to make the most out of their precious time off. Employing a 360-degree communication plan allowed us to reach consumers worldwide as early as their research stage to get them interested in Hong Kong's summer attractions before they become overwhelmed with choices. The purpose of the appealing offers we put together was to make their decision-making easier.
This 30-second video, showcasing some of Hong Kong’s finest shopping, eating and playing experiences during the HKSF campaign, was broadcast on Discovery Networks, Fox, Star Movies, CNN, BBC World News, National Geographic, and other major local channels.
We extended our reach to a wider audience through key digital platforms, such as YouTube, Google and our own website and social media accounts. We ran a daily social media contest for a trip to Hong Kong to build up excitement during the countdown to the launch of the HKSF campaign. There were also localised promotions in various markets:
TAIWAN: Leveraged the reach of digital platforms of appledaily.com, bloggers and key opinion leaders to arouse young and mid-career travellers’ interests to visit Hong Kong.
SOUTH KOREA: Engaged YouTuber Jeongju and blogger Hyeinny to generate creative content related to the HKSF promotions, utilising their fame to enhance our destination appeal for young South Koreans.
SOUTHEAST ASIA: Collaborated with travel website Skyscanner in Singapore, seven mommy bloggers in the Philippines, and lifestyle portal Wanista in Malaysia to reach consumers from various segments.
AUSTRALIA: Organised a user-generated content competition featuring the hashtag #MyHiddenHK, which attracted a total of 2,766 entries, while the multimedia content posted by Geneva Vanderzeil on her blog "A Pair & A Spare" drew over 3.4 million viewers and directed a lot of traffic to DiscoverHongKong.com.
TAIWAN: Boosted the campaign’s exposure with posters at the Taipei Railway Station and in print media, including U-Paper and Apple Daily.
SOUTHEAST ASIA: Ran tactical advertisements in newspapers, magazines and radio stations in the Philippines (Philippines Daily Inquirer and Philippine Star), Indonesia (Femina magazine), and Malaysia (988 FM, Suria FM and Sin Chew Daily).
SOUTH KOREA: Developed co-op with Lotte Cinema to play the “Shop.Eat.Play” video at 214 theatres nationwide for one month.
Our key initiatives included media events and familiarisation trips announcing our summer promotions, as well as partnerships with regional TV networks, such as Discovery Networks, to produce travel programmes. We also rode on overseas celebrities' first-hand experience with HKSF rewards and in-town offers to create sustained publicity.
JAPAN: Pop band GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE’s visit as the Hong Kong Friendship Ambassador for 2015 resulted in 225 pieces of media coverage on TV, online and in print media.
SOUTHEAST ASIA: Facilitated the filming of travelogues by TV stations from Thailand (Channel One), Malaysia (Astro) and Indonesia (Trans TV).
In addition, several celebrities from our target source markets were invited to promote our Instant Mega Draw. Their popularity was crucial in generating spin-off coverage. The celebrities included:
We solicited deals or e-coupons from merchants, which visitors could download from DiscoverHongKong.com, the My Hong Kong Guide mobile app, or Alipay before coming to Hong Kong.
Members from Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners and Hong Kong Hotels Association provided attractive room packages as part of the HKSF promotions with direct booking available on a dedicated HKTB mini-site.
Our worldwide offices also worked with airlines and travel trade partners to come up with tempting packages.
MAINLAND CHINA: We worked with trade partners, including Hong Kong Disneyland, Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, Ocean Park, Ngong Ping 360 and Sky100, to launch themed products via travel websites, such as Ctrip, Tuniu, Lvmama, and Mangocity, to drive arrivals during the HKSF period.
TAIWAN: We solicited five airlines and 13 travel agents to offer island-wide super-value packages.
JAPAN: Our projects with Vanilla Air and booking website H.I.S. boosted visitors' interest to visit Hong Kong through special offers, promoted through a series of breathtaking aerial movies and multi-talented artist Yosuke Imai's mesmerising photo essays on Hong Kong via various platforms.
SOUTH KOREA: We partnered with Cathay Pacific to roll out a month-long "Boss, I will take leave tomorrow" campaign, featuring special fares and a daily promotion to win a free air ticket.
SOUTHEAST ASIA: We partnered with Expedia to push offers in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia and with airlines to offer good deals devoted to HKSF travel through online media platforms.
AUSTRALIA: We launched exclusive deals with Flight Centre and Qantas and leveraged their robust marketing platforms for further consumer promotions. We arranged other tactical cooperation with travel websites, including Expedia, TripAdvisor and Zuji.
All visitors were greeted with Hong Kong's summer excitement as soon as they arrived at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). Each guest received a welcome pack, which came with everything they needed to enjoy the attractive offers and activities we consolidated with our trade partners to help ensure the perfect vacation in Hong Kong.
The VIP card visitors received at HKIA allowed them to enjoy comprehensive offers from QTS merchants and other travel trade, retail and dining merchants.
We continued to pay efforts in drawing in-town visitors’ attention to our HKSF programme through broadcasting our large-scale TV commercial on major channels, outdoor advertising and in attractions, creating a citywide ambience of “Shop.Eat.Play” in Hong Kong.
Before departure, visitors were treated to the Grand Lucky Draw, in which 10 winners earned the chance to "Return to Hong Kong Like a Millionaire" with a travel companion.
The luxurious trip started with a return business-class flight sponsored by Cathay Pacific or Dragonair, followed by a threenight stay at some of the city’s most luxurious hotel suites, complete with private limousine transfers, spa treatments, HK$50,000 spending credit, HK$10,000 gift card with VIP experiences, luxury mobile phone and Michelin-starred dining experiences.
