Spotlight On: Yahoo! Kimo Personals 1122 National Singles’ Day
GolinHarris in Taipei has won two international awards for their fun, creative and cheeky campaign, Yahoo! Kimo Personals 1122 National Singles Day: runner-up in the IABC Gold Quill Awards, and an honorable mention in the IPRA Golden World Awards.
Background
1122 National Singles Day was conceptualized by GH in 2004 to promote the Yahoo! Kimo Personals online dating platform. One year later, online dating was under attack in Taiwan and the team needed to combat the criticism by conceiving an innovative idea.
Key Objective To plan a large-scale event to create awareness of Yahoo! Kimo
Personals, counteract negative attacks and drive online growth.
Campaign GH coined the event theme: “One can be happy alone, but two can be twice the fun.” An online singles questionnaire was developed and then completed by 7,500 singles.
Securing partnerships with several young adult magazines helped drive word-of-mouth promotion of the event. A Yahoo! Kimo Love Bracelet was also distributed with the magazines.
The peak of the campaign was a party held for Young Singles Day, organized by the GH team. GH coordinated the entertainment and created several interactive games to help “break the ice” and encourage the singles to mingle.
Results The party was a huge success. Over 11,000 users registered online to attend the party. This was up from 500 participants the previous year.
The fact that the party was held on a Tuesday night did not deter the singles. More than 600 people joined in the games, and 2,500 people lined up outside but were unable to enter because of venue capacity limits.
The event generated 79 media clippings, including nine live TV broadcasts. Negative online dating reports subsequently ceased.
GH Team Gets Coffee Buzz as Starbucks Hong Kong Delights and Surprises with Special Award
GH consultants pose with their new summer Starbucks gear.
The GH team looks through their Starbucks prizes as they enjoy Starbucks coffee and desserts
The day Starbucks Hong Kong’s marketing director asked the company’s PR agency, GolinHarris, for an impromptu meeting seemed like any other day for the firm’s consultants, who assumed it would be a meeting to discuss the coffee company’s latest tasty products and promotions. Imagine GH’s surprise, then, when the team walked into the boardroom to find copious amounts of Starbucks coffee, desserts and lots of unexpected prizes awaiting them.
Starbucks had dropped by as part of its near-patented “delight and surprise” tactic to present the GH Starbucks team with the “Be Considerate” award for “protecting and building the Starbucks brand.” In addition, GH account director Katherine Wang and managing director John Morgan both received limited-edition commemorative mugs, and other members of the team received polo shirts.
GH is very proud to receive this award—which is on display at the entrance to the firm’s office—and looks forward to continuing its long and productive relationship with Starbucks Hong Kong.
Tokyo Delivers Oregon Governor’s Message
GolinHarris helped secure one-on-one interviews for the Governor of Oregon
At the end of June, the Governor of Oregon, U.S., Theodore Kulongoski, led a trade mission of Oregonian government officials and experts from the private sector to Japan. The trade mission was organized to capitalize on Northwest Airlines’ direct daily flight between Tokyo and Portland, Oregon, and the increasing opportunities for Oregon-bound investment thanks to the recovering Japanese economy.
The Tokyo office of GolinHarris—which serves Travel Oregon, the state’s tourism board— handled all media relations for Governor Kulongoski and his entourage, ensuring that key messages were featured in key publications from national daily broadsheets to trade papers.
During the week-long mission, GH helped secure one-on-one interviews with the Governor as well as several key officials, with coverage scheduled to appear in one of Japan’s principal dailies, two of the nation’s widest-read business newspapers, and several other publications.
GH also made sure the proceedings were picked up by media in Oregon, setting up a camera crew to film the mission’s highlights—including grand receptions held both in Tokyo and Toyama, Oregon’s sister state/ prefecture—for the benefit of Oregon’s television stations.
Erbitux China Launches in Style
In-depth interviews at the press conference provided specialized information to media.
Merck’s new treatment Erbitux is a breakthrough in the fight against colon cancer. GolinHarris in China recently held the Erbitux China launch press conference at the Shanghai Radisson Hotel Pudong Century Park to promote awareness among key stakeholders, communicate the treatment’s core benefits to target audiences and highlight Merck’s strong presence in the oncology market. The launch event comprised an interview, press conference and media luncheon.
The GH team also arranged three interviews between Merck’s management and business media, R&D staff and trade media, and finally, key opinion leaders and health media.
The media feedback was excellent; representatives expressed how satisfied they were that the interviews were obviously tailored to meet their specific needs.
The event achieved a 100% attendance rate, with 37 media attending. To date, there have been 10 articles published, all of which were positive.
Singaporeans Flash Their Pearly Whites for Colgate Oral Health Month
The public were given free dental check-ups during Oral Health Month.
The campaign focused on gum problems and sensitive teeth.
The Singapore office of GolinHarris helped spread the message of the importance of good oral health as they teamed up with Colgate-Palmolive to promote the annual Colgate Oral Health Month Healthy Smiles for Life Campaign.
The Oral Health Month campaign was first launched by Colgate-Palmolive and the Singapore Dental Association in 2004; this year the organizers wanted to reach out to a more specific segment of the population, with a particular focus on gum problems and sensitive teeth.
Colgate-Palmolive launched extensive outreach activities to bring oral health education direct to the community throughout the month of June. The campaign drew healthy support from the dentistry community, garnering overwhelming participation of 246 dental clinics to provide free basic dental check-ups to the public. Marquees offering consultation and free dental check-ups were also set up in major shopping malls, drawing oral health-conscious crowds.
Extensive media coverage was garnered in dailies, TV and radio talk shows and prime-time evening TV news. Journalists were invited to participate in free oral health check-ups at the launch and during the outreach activities.
At the end of Oral Health Month, organizers saw an increase of 44% year-on-year in the level of participation. Close to 150,000 people took part in the month, benefiting from the free dental check-up service.
“The Healthy Smiles for Life” campaign gained extensive coverage, including this piece in leading daily, The Straits Times.
Hong Kong Journalists Enjoy Fun and Sun in Thailand with Marriott
GH consultants pose with Hong Kong travel reporters at picturesque Koh Samui.
A pool villa at the Renaissance Koh Samui Resort & Spa.
GolinHarris consultants Kennes Young and Wade Lundin recently arranged and attended a media familiarization trip for eight leading travel trade writers to the Renaissance Koh Samui Resort and Spa, a new boutique-style resort in Thailand managed by longtime GH client Marriott International.
The trip kicked off with a sumptuous welcome dinner at the resort’s signature restaurant, TawaNN, hosted by general manager Kent Maury and executive chef Joeri Schreur. Over the next couple of days, the group enjoyed a tour of Koh Samui’s attractions, experienced the nightlife of famous Chaweng Beach, took part in a Thai cooking class at the resort, enjoyed the therapeutic wonders of the resort’s Quan Spa, and went on a snorkeling and mangrove forest expedition to a nearby island.
The journalists said it was one of the best press trips they had ever experienced and look forward to covering the resort in their respective publications
Sleek Figures Shown Off at Jaguar Lounge in Tokyo
GolinHarris in Tokyo transformed an upscale bar into the “Jaguar Lounge” to promote the famous auto brand.
Always looking for creative ways to bolster the image of British automobile manufacturer Jaguar, the Tokyo office of GolinHarris assisted in the planning and operation of a week-long social event held at an upscale bar lounge in Nishi-Azabu, one of Tokyo’s trendiest districts. Renting out the nightspot and renaming it the “Jaguar Lounge” between May 8 and 12, GH spread the word to local and international media as well as top representatives from various industries and fields and secured a turnout of over 160 participants.
GH staff made sure the champagne flowed in the chic atmosphere, where the topic of conversation focused on the admiration of the sleek figures and powerful engines of Jaguar’s several models sold in the Japanese market.
The event was a great success, and GH is busy working on their next project for Jaguar—a test-drive event in October.
GH Helps IKEA Open Taiwan’s Largest Home Furnishing Store in Style
To generate media attention to attract customers, GH created a day-long show for VIPs, media and consumers.
To announce the opening of the IKEA Hsin-Chuang store (HCS)—Taiwan’s largest home furnishing store—and to generate media attention to attract customers, GolinHarris created a day-long show for IKEA VIPs, media and consumers.
GolinHarris developed a series of events to announce the IKEA HCS opening. First, three months prior the opening, GH designed a construction site media tour. Second, before the opening, GH planned a “pre-experience” media tour at IKEA HCS. On the opening day, GH created an opening ceremony which involved consumer activities including a clown show, face painting, a magician show and an IKEA Furniture Man show.
The opening was a great success. The first three days of the HCS opening attracted nearly 80,000 customers. During the first two weeks of business, more than 230,000 customers visited the IKEA Hsin-Chuang store.
Sign Here: Waters Collaboration Ceremony in Beijing
The signing ceremony.
Art Caputo, President of Waters Corporation, signs a lab coat at the commemorative ceremony.
Chemical measurement company Waters recently signed an agreement with the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and sought to publicly honor its relationships with the CDC and RCEES (Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, China Academy of Sciences) through a signing ceremony at the China World Hotel Beijing on June 21, 2006.
James Willis, Senior Director, Chemical Analysis Market Development.
In addition to providing strategic counsel and event support, GolinHarris in Beijing sought to emphasize Waters’ industry leading-position by pitching and arranging interviews between key Waters executives and Chinese trade, business and international media.
Significant challenges for the GH team included securing domestic and foreign media attendance as well as coverage for such a specialized company, preparing executives for their first media appearance in China and sharing the Waters story with media who were not familiar with the company.
Impressively, 25 media attended the event, and a total of 27 articles are expected to be published. All key messages were highlighted, positively positioning Waters as a key partner with China for environmental and food safety standards. The clippings to date are equivalent to an ad value of USD24,369. The event was an excellent way for Waters to start off on the right foot with China-based media.
GH applies SCJohnson DEET to Repel Attacks in Taiwan Market
A demonstration proved the effectiveness of DEET and created a great photo opportunity for media.
SCJohnson came under attack in Taiwan when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that EPA-approved mosquito repellents could not be relied upon to prevent mosquito bites. The company needed a strategic campaign to restore consumer confidence in its EPA-approved products, showing that DEET, the main ingredient in its mosquito repellents, was indeed effective in repelling mosquitoes and could be safely used on human skin.
Within two weeks, GolinHarris in Taipei had secured third-party validations from leading insect experts and researchers at a local university. In addition, GH created a media photo point to demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of DEET, as staff placed their bare arms directly into a plastic box filled with laboratory mosquitoes. The demonstration clearly proved mosquitoes would not bite the arms sprayed with DEET.
A total of 42 journalists from 25 media agencies attended the event. In addition, a number of stories carried photos of the DEET demonstration, visually reinforcing to consumers the product’s effectiveness. Since the media gathering, all negative attacks on SCJohnson have ceased.
GH Singapore Launches PAW Campaign for Wyeth
Prevenar is the first pneumococcal vaccine in the world suitable for children under two years of age.
Since last October, GolinHarris in Singapore has worked closely with Wyeth Pharmaceutical to promote their new treatment, Prevenar, the first pneumococcal vaccine in the world suitable for children under two years of age. Pneumococcal infections can cause death and disabilities brought on by such conditions as pneumonia and meningitis.
GH launched Singapore’s first ever Pneumococcal Disease Awareness (PAW) Campaign to educate and inform parents about pneumococcal disease and emphasize the importance of vaccination. The primary strategy of the campaign was to simplify the unfamiliar and complex pneumococcal disease and provide information that was easy for parents to understand.
The campaign was launched in collaboration with key third-party partnerships including the Singapore Paediatric Society, a parent advocate, and a celebrity advocate. Campaign activities included a disease awareness exhibition and the staging of a specially commissioned drama skit that was performed at shopping malls, directly targeting children and their parents—the target audience. Tattoos and balloons were also distributed to further promote the cause.
The launch press conference attracted more than 70% of Singapore’s key dailies and 100% of Singapore’s television stations. Other media present included radio, key parenting magazines and medical journals. Key messages were delivered in 100% of media coverage.
During the campaign month, Wyeth received an increase of 128% in orders for Prevenar compared to the average sales figures of the preceding eight months (since the launch of Prevenar).
The successful PAW Campaign was recognized by Wyeth's senior-most Asia Pacific regional representative, Roger Falconer-Flint, Vaccines Commercial Director, Asia Pacific Commercial Team, Wyeth Vaccines: “… This is an excellent example of the sort of bold campaigning that we need in the (Asia Pacific) region!”
GH Launches New Zealand Beef “3 Lows Cooking Competition”
Research data from GolinHarris client Meat & Wool New Zealand showed that over 70% of sales came from the hotel and restaurant industry (HRI), with only 30% of sales from consumers. To reach out to this new target audience, GH in Taipei designed and implemented a cooking competition.
First, GH created the “3 Lows Cooking Competition” to reinforce NZ Beef’s key position as providing healthy (low calories, low fat and low cholesterol) and tasty beef.
GH then designed an online campaign through both the NZ Beef official website and also through a cooperating website, Enjoy Gourmet, where consumers could play interactive games and learn more about NZ Beef.
The final phase was HRI reach-out and event execution. GH surveyed 368 restaurant professionals, helping NZ Beef build better relations with these important buyers, and over 60 chefs joined the competition. After the final round, three hotels and restaurants will serve the New Zealand Beef dishes created by the top three chefs for a period of five months.
GolinHarris in Taipei designed a cooking competition to reach out to the hotel and restaurant industry.
Creative cooking with beef!
GH and Zespri: Big Results for a Little Fruit
Over the past six years, GolinHarris has enjoyed a successful relationship with Zespri New Zealand Kiwifruit. Starting from humble beginnings in the Taiwan market, GH’s award-winning campaigns have propelled Zespri to new heights across the Asia Pacific region. Zespri now works with six GolinHarris offices in the region, each strengthened by creative and results-driven programs.
This year has been no exception, as each of the markets has rolled out innovative campaigns focusing on promoting fun and health during summer.
Taiwan
Things kicked off in Taiwan with the GH team convincing Zespri to conduct research on the effects of eating kiwifruit before going to sleep at night. The GH team designed and executed the research program, announcing the positive results with an innovative press conference that featured a kiwifruit bed designed to look like an actual kiwifruit farm.
A total of 19 reporters from 15 media agencies attended the event, with pictures of the event splashed across the news the following day. The event generated 92 media clippings and an equivalent advertising value of nearly 40 times the PR fee.
Singapore The GH team in Singapore helped its audience “get in bed” with Zespri as it leveraged the research results from Taiwan into a new campaign.
Focusing on the message that eating two kiwifruit one hour before bedtime improves sleep, GH organized a pajama party in Singapore’s New Majestic Hotel.
The media gathering garnered a 100% attendance rate, with the resulting coverage creating a surge in supermarket sales.
Hong Kong In June, GH arranged a life-size foosball game in anticipation of the World Cup. It featured youth players from the Hong Kong Football Association, well-known singers and pro footballer Gilbert Ko. Also making an appearance at the event was the “world’s largest kiwifruit football,” which was a whopping 10 feet in diameter.
The Hong Kong team also executed a program with a local restaurant chain that provides school lunches. During lunch one day, Zespri gave away 45,000 pieces of its GOLD kiwifruit at 70 schools.
To date, the campaign has generated 43 media hits, including two instances of TV coverage in Hong Kong’s small broadcast market.
China GH helped Zespri launch its “Kiwi Beauty 123” online campaign, stressing that eating two kiwifruits per day results in three positive beauty effects: whiter skin, better fitness and slower aging. The campaign incorporated a competitive kiwifruit-themed writing contest that attracted 100 entries. The online campaign generated 65 news clippings in total.
The GH team in Beijing also created “the perfect party for the summer,” inviting a well-known model and Zespri’s China market manager, Joseph Yu, as the party hosts. The hosts shared their party ideas and experiences with the media and taught the audience how to make a Zespri cocktail. There was also a bartender show to impress the crowds. The event attracted 56 top media representatives.
