City Developments Limited celebrates 60th with double-page print ad spread

Real estate company, City Developments Limited (CDL) is turning 60 this year and is celebrating with an anniversary campaign featuring print ads and compelling stories detailing its milestones.

Titled "Shaping Skylines. Lasting Legacies", the anniversary campaign features teaser ads and a double-page spread in The Straits Times and business publications that will tell the story of CDL’s expansion. The stories will showcase how CDL, through its bold visions, risk management and grit weathered economic storms and transformed itself from a fledging developer with a staff of eight into a global property and hotel conglomerate, employing over 8,000 employees, it said in a statement. 

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The print ads showcased CDL’s achievements and landmark developments. Readers will be able to scan a QR code to learn how CDL shaped the face of real estate through its dedication to business excellence, innovation and sustainability.

The multi-faceted campaign was conceptualised to ensure reach and longevity beyond the insertions on the day of publication, said Blak Labs who worked with the company on the campaign. The stories on the microsite, which were sourced locally and from the global team, form a cultural repository for prospective customers and hotel guests while aiming to inspire current and future staff. 

“We are delighted to help CDL celebrate their 60th Anniversary the way they approach their business – with great imagination,” said Charlie Blower, managing partner at Blak Labs.

Blower also told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the campaign is fully integrated with print and digital components. "The integrated campaign is one element of CDL's planned anniversary celebrations throughout the year. Other elements of the campaign are yet to be revealed," he said. 

The campaign is certainly an interesting one considering that a solely print campaign is rare in this digital-first world. However, they are not the only ones to opt for print in recent times. 

Earlier this month,McDonald's Hong Kong dropped a bombshell that it will discontinue certain coffee items on the menu and also bought print ads to make the move known. The announcement caused a fair bit of chatter and disappointment among Hongkongers.

McDonald's said on Facebook that it would stop selling its ground coffee (優質即磨咖啡) and roast coffee premium (優質濃香咖啡) from 6 pm on Monday. While the caption stated that McDonald's coffee “retires”, it thanked its customers for their support over the years. The post has received over 9k reactions and 2k shares. 

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Tina Chao, chief marketing and digital customer experience officer, McDonald's HK said not only was its objective to be unmissable and become the talk of the town, but the brand also aimed to ensure that its media selection was relevant to the breakfast occasion itself.

"Therefore, instead of using large quantities of channels and smaller placements, we opted for maximum impact in a timely manner. A full-page newspaper ad, radio spots, and the Cross Harbor Tunnel billboards are excellent ways to capture people’s attention during their morning commute," she said. 

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