Category: Best Use of Ambient Media: Small Scale
Advertiser: COLOR PARADISE HONG KONG
Product/Service: ICE GEL GEL NAIL
Agency: GREY GROUP HONG KONG
Executive Creative Director: Keith Ho (Grey Group Hong Kong)
Group Creative Director: Nicholas Hong (Grey Group Hong Kong)
Creative Director: Davey Lui (Grey Group Hong Kong)
Associate Creative Director: Henry Yim (Grey Group Hong Kong)
Copywriter: Kristie Chen (Grey Group Hong Kong)
Art Director: Jeff Lai (Grey Group Hong Kong)
Art Director: Hui Ka Kit (Grey Group Hong Kong)
Vice President/Account Management (Apac): Susanna Lee (Grey Group Hong Kong)
Account Director: Melody Siu (Grey Group Hong Kong)
Illustrator: Leon Lai/Sam Lo (Grey Group Hong Kong)
Media placement: Ambient - Cube Shop - 15 August 2011
Insights, Strategy & the Idea
Ice Gel is a professional fingernail paint brand that offers a huge range of colours, superior technology, and amazing results. The brand allows stylists to paint incredibly detailed works that transform fingernail painting into an art form. Our goal was to promote the proposition of 'nail painting as art' to a new market in Hong Kong and build brand awareness within a limited budget. We realised the best way to make Ice Gel popular with salons and stylists was actually to skip them. We went straight to the end-consumer with an idea that was not just engaging but economical: The World's Smallest Art Gallery, a showcase for works of art created with Ice Gel.
Creative Execution
With our help, Ice Gel became the first brand in the world to use a 'Cube Shop' as an advertising medium. Hong Kong's high rents have led to the proliferation of this unique retailing phenomenon. Cube Shops are created when a normal-sized store is divided into tiny 1-foot-square cubicles (up to 100 per store). We knew that our targets liked to frequent trendy shopping malls with Cube Shops, so we rented one in a mall surrounded by nail salons. We commissioned an artist to paint on acrylic fingernails and displayed these works of art in our Cube Shop, which became The World's Smallest Art Gallery. By doing so, we positioned our message in a highly targeted environment and enhanced the creative image of the brand. Visitors to the museum could scan a QR code to instantly visit Ice Gel's website, enabling consumers to become style-setters even before their own stylists.
Results and Effectiveness
With a budget of just 1,000 US dollars, the campaign was highly effective. In just 1 month, the QR code generated 24,000 page views for Ice Gel's website against projections of just 1,500. New client bookings increased 10% in the next 3 months for their flagship nail salon. Telephone enquiries were up 30%. Women began asking for Ice Gel by name at their favourite salons.