Shirley Chan	Nicolaus Wilk

“5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Happy New Year! ... brought to you by Bravia”?

Such was the scene last year as Taipei 101, the world’s tallest building, proudly proclaimed on its façade that the 2006 New Year’s celebrations and fireworks show were sponsored by Sony’s Bravia line of LCD TVs.

Many were left scratching their heads, some saw and quickly forgot, while others went out and immediately bought themselves the latest home entertainment technology. From a marketer’s perspective, the case was fascinating.

This being Taiwan, the word quickly spread that Sony had paid roughly NTD20 million (USD625,000) to host the 2006 New Year’s celebration and a 128-second fireworks show for the assembled spectators. Today it remains an interesting case study in branding, as news recently leaked that the price tag for hosting the upcoming New Year’s Eve celebration has risen to NTD30 million (close to USD1 million) for a 188-second-long fireworks show.

Creativity grabs attention: GH dressed window washers in balloons so they appeared as shampoo suds, placed pictures of the key ingredients in the shampoo on the cleaning gear, and had the window washers clean the billboard using the advertised shampoo.

Adding to the intrigue is that the Taiwan government looks set to join the bidding. According to the media, Taiwan’s official propaganda arm, the Government Information Office (GIO), has been looking at buying the celebration in concert with four of Taiwan’s top branded companies: Acer, the world’s 4th largest PC brand; Asustek, the world’s largest manufacturer of laptops and motherboards; BenQ, one of the leading global mobile phone brands; and Giant, one of the world’s largest bicycle makers. The GIO saw firsthand the success that Sony reaped with its branding last year, and hopes to duplicate the accomplishment on a global scale for the four indigenous brands.

However, the case study also speaks to marketers and branding professionals on a larger trend: how to effectively leverage the new space generated by the “urban jungle.”

As any traveler to Asia’s large cities will attest, everything is covered in ads. From building billboards and neon lights to the insides of taxicabs and elevators, advertisements and branding campaigns are everywhere. But are they effective? Are we making the most efficient use of the space provided?

By splashing its brand name across the four sides of Taipei 101 immediately before and after the New Year’s Eve fireworks show, Sony guaranteed an impression on a great many consumers. A recent report by the Taipei Times indicates that this led the Sony Bravia brand to grab the number one market share in LCD TVs in Taiwan.

But compare that to the standard array of company names and phone numbers on urban advertising. Are these making an impact and getting the job done? Or are they just wasting space?

Earlier this year, the Taipei office of GolinHarris helped client Unilever LUX maximize the exposure of a giant billboard advertisement. To attract even more attention to Taiwan's largest-ever outdoor billboard, GH arranged to wash the hair of the model featured in the LUX ad. GH dressed window washers in balloons so they appeared as shampoo suds, placed pictures of the key ingredients in the shampoo on the cleaning gear, and had the window washers clean the billboard using the advertised shampoo. The fun and quirky stunt attracted media to the site and garnered significant coverage. With a bit of creativity using public relations, an ordinary billboard created buzz and exposure, maximizing LUX's advertising investment. It's the kind of creativity we should always be contributing to our clients.

So, the next time you look up at one of the skyscrapers on your way to work, think to yourself, “If it were up to ME, what could I do with that space?” Write it down, do some research, and if all goes your way, perhaps yours will be the next creative brand “building” case study.