Running Man's launch in Singapore [GALLERY]

COMPANY:SONY PICTURES TELEVISION (SPT)EVENT:ONE’S WATSONS RACE START! IN SINGAPORE RUNNING MAN FAN MEETINGDATE:a18-19 OCTOBER 2013LOCALE:SINGAPOREEVENT OBJECTIVE:To bring the stars of the urban action variety series to fans in Singapore and promote the show’s ongoing broadcast on One, Sony's Korean general entertainment channel.EXECUTION:The Watsons Race Start! in Singapore Running Man fan meeting event was organised by One. The event was aimed at creating a new platform for advertisers to reach its consumers on the ground, as a complement to the channel.“Our overall objective is to deliver the best South Korean entertainment to audiences across Asia on TV and beyond,” Ang Hui Keng, senior vice president, Business Operations, Networks Asia, Sony Pictures Television said.This was the first ticketed event organised by One, open to the public. Top category ticket holders were given the opportunity to meet the artistes in person to receive autographed posters. One’s business partners were also invited to the exclusive event.Event and ticketing details were regularly announced on One, both on-air, online and through its social media accounts. Sponsors also promoted the event in marketing collateral like posters in Watsons stores and at Jurong Point. Ticket sales were handled via SISTIC.The day before the event, nearly 100 members of the local print and online media attended the media conference at the event’s official hotel, W Singapore – Sentosa Cove to interview the Running Man hosts.The presenting sponsor for the event was Watsons Singapore, while official sponsors included Jurong Point, My Beauty Diary and Owl Coffee.More images:[gallery link="file" ids="29022,29020,29017,29016"]Presenting sponsor Watsons Singapore had the event’s naming rights, while Owl Coffee and My Beauty Diary named game segments. In addition, contestants wore sponsors-branded T-shirts on stage.All sponsors provided their products and other collateral in goodie bags for all attendees. One also had limited edition Running Man merchandise for sale as souvenirs.The media conference served sponsors Owl Coffee and Allswell’s beverages with Owl branded cups. All sponsors provided their products and other collateral to the media as well.The two hour long event had Running Man actors picking attendees to join them on stage for games and singing live for their fans.South Korean drama and broadcasting programmes producer Urbanworks Media Inc, designed the games and song segments.RESULTS:One’s Watsons Race Start! in Singapore sold out within hours and there were over 3,000 participants attending the event at the Singapore Expo Hall. At Jurong Point, the Running Man autograph session saw nearly 4,000 fans.Coinciding with the October event, TV ratings for One hit new highs in Singapore, breaking its monthly primetime and full-day ratings records among pay-TV audiences. One ascended the viewership chart to the number three spot among all rated StarHub TV channels in October, up from number five at the end of 2012.Primetime ratings also grew 12.2%, while full-day ratings increased by 8.7% from the previous records. In addition, year-to-date One delivered primetime ratings that topped all rated channels, excluding Indian content networks on StarHub TV.Buzz for the event extended to social media, where ONE saw an 8% increase in ‘Likes’ for its Facebook page and 14% rise in Twitter followers over a three month period.There was post-event media coverage across The Straits Times’ Life! section cover story, U Weekly cover story, full page stories in dailies including The New Paper, My Paper, and Today.In total, more than 70 print and online articles were generated from pre to post event.LESSONS LEARNED:One of the biggest challenges in organising the event was facing a larger demand for the event compared to the supply.“The immense popularity of Running Man and its cast members among Singapore fans exceeded One’s initial expectations. In response, One worked with the venue to add additional capacity and sold those tickets at a special price,” Ang added.What were some contingency plans?One ensured that there was adequate security presence at each stage of the promotional tour to ensure the safety of the event.For future events, One will target a larger venue to cater to even more fans for future events.“We will also be looking for even more opportunities to help advertisers creatively showcase and promote their brands and products at the event,” Ang said.