SOGO Kai Tak offers immersive retailtainment experience surrounding Maneki-neko

To mark the grand opening of its Kai Tak flagship, SOGO has launched a multi-phased marketing campaign to enhance the retailtainment experience for consumers.

Spanning from January through summer 2025, the “Fortune Niya Omeow, fortune is coming” campaign offers an immersive retailtainment experience centred around the beloved Maneki-neko, Japan’s iconic beckoning cat symbolising luck, prosperity, and happiness.

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Positioning itself as more than just a shopping destination, SOGO Kai Tak aims to build both a cultural and emotional connection with customers through an interactive, story-driven campaign. The initiative seeks to inject joy and a festive spirit into the newly opened mall, while encouraging exploration across its retail floors and creating memorable, shareable moments that nurture long-term loyalty.

Developed in collaboration with Hong Kong creative studio Create & Yay, the Maneki-neko has been reimagined through large-scale art installations, live performances, premium gifting, and hands-on workshops to target a broad customer base, with particular resonance among families, young professionals, and lifestyle-driven shoppers who value immersive, visually compelling experiences.

Structured across three main phases, Chinese New Year, SOGO Rewards Days, and Thankful Weeks, the campaign has sustained excitement and customer engagement over several months. 

The Chinese New Year phase debuted with towering Maneki-neko sculptures, cat-masked performers in yukata, and a Gōtokuji Temple-inspired display, blending spectacle and cultural authenticity for Instagrammable moments. SOGO Rewards Days drove app use and footfall via member-exclusive workshops and a hands-on origami booth, emphasising interactivity. During the Thankful Weeks from April to late May, a playful “stand above the lucky cat” photo installation is launched to drive footfall and boost social sharing during peak promotion.

In terms of marketing strategy, the campaign leverages oversized Maneki-neko sculptures at the mall’s entrance to spark selfies and social sharing, driving organic visibility across digital platforms. Inside, a gamified stamp-collection treasure hunt encourages exploration across multiple floors, boosting vertical footfall while enhancing engagement.

To further incentivise spending, a limited-edition blind-box collectible series is introduced as part of a gift redemption programme, adding value to purchases. Weekend yukata parades, featuring performers in cat masks, energise the atmosphere, seamlessly blending retail with immersive entertainment.

To maximise the campaign's visibility, SOGO primarily leverages social media and KOL collaboration, with content that highlighted key visual installations, workshop experiences, and collectible redemptions. User-generated content becomes a powerful amplification tool, with customers enthusiastically sharing their encounters with the lucky cats online, organically expanding the campaign’s reach.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to SOGO for more information.

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