Lexus re-imagines HKTV drama for new campaign

With the Hong Kong car industry slowing down on its TV advertising spending, digital has emerged as a promising alternative for smaller-budget, but more tactical creative.Facing stiff competition from the European marques, Japanese automaker Lexus has embarked on a journey to engage younger prospective car owners. Its latest spot for NX200t F Sport, is designed to sharpen Lexus image, via a partnership with HKTV.Initiated and developed by The Gate Hong Kong, the Crown Motors has rolled out a 30-second spot to leverage Cheung Kwai-Lung (張癸龍) from HKTV’s acclaimed drama The Election (選戰).http://vimeo.com/119087520https://vimeo.com/119081185The story documents how the election officer Cheung helped a chief executive candidate to obtain evidence and clear her name against prosecution from a political opponent.The Lexus ad will run in sync with the storyline of The Election to prompt viewers to visit the Lexus campaign site.While this kind of alternative ad format is more engaging that a traditional TVC, HKTV's is facing a slump in ratings, down 3.9% each week.Michael Woo, general manager of marketing at Crown Motors, said this was of no concern to the campaign performance with a cross-media communication plan."Even without much view on the online broadcaster, the video can still stand alone in the digital space," he told Marketing."The campaign is packaged with entertainment and promotional content in a cross-media experience to capture younger prospective buyers who are digital natives. “The interactive components, where audiences are asked to take part in the storyline to tackle three missions, also create strong resonance to the audiences."Credits:Client: Crown MotorsBrand: LexusCreative agency: The Gate WorldwideProject: All new NX200t F SPORT launch campaignCreative Team: Denise Wong, Sonic Choy, Cecilia Lam, Matthew YuenAccount Management: Maggie Wong, Henry Yeung, Ashley Wong, Janice NgVideo Production: HKTV