Talk of the town
11.11 was a concept adopted by the Alibaba Group in 2009 to drive consumers to its e-commerce sites with the promise of huge discounts on 11 November each year. By 2013, enormous sales saw 11.11 eclipse all other notable discount days, such as Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
Sinclair was appointed by Tmall, the B2C e-commerce sister platform of Alibaba Group’s Taobao, to promote its 11.11 offerings in Hong Kong. Despite Tmall being the 7th most visited website in China, and the 17th most visited worldwide, the majority of Hongkongers were yet to become familiar with its 11.11 deals and may have concerns over delivery costs from China.
Strategy
A fluidly integrated strategy to drive awareness of 11.11 and Tmall in Hong Kong comprising PR, experiential marketing and digital
Focus
Developed the hook that the first kilo of all 11.11 purchases would be shipped to Hong Kong for free
Experience
To echo the free delivery concept, Tmall sponsored a Star Ferry ‘free ride day’ for Hongkongers to enjoy free rides of ferry routes between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui
Visible
The Central ferry piers were wrapped in Tmall branding, with onsite promoters giving away specially designed ferry tickets and balloons
Influence
A video campaign with media partners featuring Hong Kong celebrities Dodo Cheng and hip-hop duo FAMA
Engage
A Tmall Ferry Party, where celebrities Dodo Cheng and FAMA made surprise appearances and shared shopping tips. The party hosted 300 guests
Partnership
Secured media partnerships with lifestyle-focused digital platforms U Magazine, Weekend Weekly Jetso and Timable
