Valentine's Day inspires Microsoft Mobile

Hong Kong - Microsoft Windows Mobile has launched a Valentine's Day inspired tactical campaign in partnership with Sing Tao's Headline Daily to find Hong Kong's best couple.

Side stepping the traditional tech magazine option, Microsoft Mobile is going direct to the public, launching a Facebook group where people can view and vote on Hong Kong's ultimate couple.

From today and tomorrow the company will have spotters around Mongkok and Causeway Bay photographing of loved-up Valentines Day couples, who will receive a rose for competing in the Microsoft competition.

The winning couple will receive a pair of the newly launched Motorola A3100.

To generate interest Microsoft has sent EDM blasts to local Hotmail users to inform them of the competition, with additional awareness being driven on community discussion boards and other social media platforms including Twitter. 

In addition to the online activity, PR group Weber Shandwick has also helped to drive publicity in local papers Headline Daily and The Standard, which today (Friday) ran a news item from a mobile survey that shows more than half of Asians believe mobile phone proposals are acceptable. 

Interest from TV and radio broadcasters has also been recorded.

Jimmy Chim, business group lead at Microsoft Mobile Communications Business, said the Windows Mobile ‘Best Hong Kong Couple' competition utilises social media platforms such as Facebook as it allows Microsoft to give additional weight to the traditional media strategy.

"With some clever thinking and effective resourcing, you can implement a campaign that gets media interested, involves the community and allows us to have a little bit of fun. I encourage all your readers to enter the competition to become Hong Kong's Best Couple."