While I was browsing Ogilvy’s website, the Chengdu Pambassador campaign drew my attention. Chengdu, the capital city of China’s southwest Sichuan province, is the producer of half the global supply of laptop chips, a fifth of all computers in the world, 80 percent of Apple’s iPads, essential parts for Airbus and Boeing. Compared with its economic development, Chengdu never made to the top travel destination in terms of the number of incoming tourists despite its abundant tourism resources. Being known as the home of the cute giant panda, Chengdu Municipality, with the collaboration with Ogilvy, aimed to greatly boost its tourism industry by using this city icon.
Situation
Chengdu was perceived internationally as a drab second-tier industrial inland city, with no special distinguishing features. Chengdu’s 1.2 million annual visitors representing less than one percent of China’s 135 million total visitors in 2011.
Objective
Raise awareness of Chengdu’s natural tourism resources from key visitor markets
Drive Chengdu’s tourism growth rate and significantly outperform national growth forecasts, estimated in 2012 at between 2.7 and 5 percent
Audience
Potential travellers from UK, US, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan; international media
Strategy
Utilize all traditional media and new media to raise awareness and drive action, specifically:
International media: persuade them to tell the story of Chengdu
Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan: emphasise on reasons to visit Chengdu instead of creating awareness in terms of proximity and have a cultural affinity with mainland China
US and UK: raise awareness
Tactics
- Non-profit organization Chengdu Panda Base launched the three-month PandaQuest campaign in partnership with WildAid, an international NGO aiming to end wildlife smuggling, as well as the Yao Ming Foundation, a charity organization founded by the Shanghai-born former NBA star to search for three panda ambassadors.
- In Europe, costumed pandas toured Edinburgh, Paris, Brussels, Rome, and Berlin performing flash-mobs, giving panda bear hugs to pedestrians, and simultaneously providing information about Chengdu, panda conservation, and the competition.
- North America saw the Pambassador competition semi-final and “Pambassador Day” at Georgetown University.
- In Singapore, a retail activation with 7–11 stores featured the “Pambassador” search on posters, banners and price tags, plus a Panda-Rock concert, a Panda-themed black & white fashion show, and Asian regional semi-finals.
- Hong Kong saw a viral video of costumed pandas visiting city landmarks in search of bamboo.
- In Chengdu, 16 global finalists experienced the Giant Panda’s natural habitat and promoted Chengdu and the campaign through their individual stories.
- Globally, social and traditional media promoted digital content from all these activities.
Evaluation results
- Independent research on awareness of Chengdu as ‘Panda-land’ increased from 19 percent to 43 percent in the UK, from 14 percent to 27 percent in the US and from 58 percent to 75 percent in Singapore
- 16,495 average daily Google searches for Chengdu represented a 54 percent growth from the launch of the “Pambassador” campaign. The level of coverage, engagement and search attracted 255,000 applicants to live and work in Chengdu, more than seven times the number attracted to Queensland Tourism’s “Best Job in the World” campaign as caretaker for a reef of stunning tropical islands!
- More visitors accounted for US$161million in incremental tourism receipts for Chengdu in 2012, after allowing for trends in national tourism growth.
To read more about Chengdu and the campaign:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-hoge/10-reasons-to-visit-chengdu_b_7426502.html
http://www.news.com.au/travel/world-travel/asia/why-chengdu-is-suddenly-the-place-everyone-wants-to-visit/news-story/14bd4eaa10de3a9fe013a6caa1155747
https://www.facebook.com/ChengduPambassador/
http://travel.cnn.com/shanghai/life/cutest-job-world-chengdu-seek-panda-ambassadors-532161/
https://www.slideshare.net/socialogilvy/pandaquest-be-the-next-chengdu-pambassador
