lululemon HK 'wrongly' spends marketing budget with 10 SMBs in HK

Hong Kong's economy has been severely hit by the fifth wave of the pandemic, as the city's financial secretary Paul Chan admitted that it would contract in Q1 2022. As SMBs are more vulnerable to an economic downturn, lululemon Hong Kong has formed partnerships with these businesses from various industries, with none of them related to sport, in the city to promote the message of "Be Well" and encourage every citizen to stay positive.

The athletic apparel retailer has decided to spend its marketing budget on 10 SMBs, including restaurants, bars, and tattoo studios lately, offering them a source of income as many of them have been required by the government to shut down their business or reduce the operating hours. The retailer said it "wrongly" sponsored a post on the SMBs' social pages to bring out the message "Be Well".

"The idea of 'Be Well' not only belongs to yoga or Sports enthusiasts. When we live a normal life amid difficulties, we can all achieve this. We believe that this 'wrong' ad placement could lead to the right action," said the brand.

For example, lululemon Hong Kong worked with coffee shop "Crew" in this campaign. With two stores in the city and only about 6,300 followers on Instagram, the owner of the Crew said in the post, "Crew is about to celebrate its second anniversary. To be honest, running Crew might probably be one of the worst choices in our lives. We founded Crew right after the first wave of the pandemic, but we have also experienced the second, third, fourth, and fifth wave."

"It was the worst of times; but it was also the best of times when Crew had the opportunity to meet every one of you... May the 'wrong' be the best mistakes we have made in our lives," the post read.

TAP- The Ale Project, located at Mong Kok and Tsuen Wan, said on its social platform, "We are grateful for lululemon Hong Kong's decision to place an ad on our page. We will strive to offer specialty beers to local customers and create a relaxing atmosphere for them. Please live a good life, get drunk, and pursue the finer things in life amid the most difficult time. Be Well!"

Stephen Chung, director of Secret Tour Hong Kong, explained the idea of the campaign, "We have been thinking about how to create ads to cheer up Hongkongers amid difficulties. We realised that emotional ads with big words are not something that people are looking for now. So, we go for a different approach this time by creating unconventional ads with positive energy."

The campaign was launched at noon on 8 April. Moving forward, lululemon Hong Kong will continue to support the community and inspire people to take care of their holistic wellbeing. The brand is launching a seven-day "Rest and Restore" online retreat from 8 to 14 April with a series of wellness experiences to help people relax their body and mind.

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