Maxim's looks to engage mooncake lovers through pop up shop

With Mid-Autumn Festival just around the corner, mooncake sellers are eagerly finding ways to catch eyeballs and capitalise on the profitable mooncake market.Among all, Maxim’s, one of the biggest mooncake retailers in Hong Kong, broke the internet last week with the announcement of mooncake free-giveaways.The brand is giving out 100 free special mooncake editions each day on Saturdays and Sundays between 13 August and 4 September. Hong Kong citizens with an ID number including "60" or "18", or have the word "Mei(美)" or "Sum(心)" in their Chinese name, will be qualified to get a free mooncake gift.Eve Leung, senior marketing manager at Maxim’s, told Marketing that responses have been overwhelming. “It has increased the brand awareness we want to achieve, as well as getting customers ready for our second wave campaign.”By which she is referring to the brand’s first ever mooncake-themed pop up store in Causeway Bay Fashion Walk. [gallery link="file" ids="145126,145128,145374,145375,145376,145377,145748,145747"]Launching on 13 August, the store will hold workshops for mooncake-like soap, and sell snacks like custard lava mooncake, curry puff, chicken pie and milk tea to celebrate its 60th corporate anniversary. The store will open till 16 September.It is accessorised with decorative lighting to encourage visitors take selfies and upload them to the social platforms.“Our marketing initiative looks to bring customer engagement to a new level,” explained Leung. "As the market has become more competitive, maintaining a leading brand position is no easy feat. The interactive approach can relate our brand to the lunar festival's core value - to spend time with friends and relatives."She said the theme is in accordance with this year’s TV commercials and printed advertisements, dubbing “The Taste of Moon Festival” - the same tagline as 2015.“The messages on different channels should sum up for a bigger picture,” she added.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYKp7JAIaWUFrom the biggest interactive event that Maxim’s has ever launched, to advertisements spanning digital and traditional platforms, Leung expected the new synergy between two will drive a double digit sales growth.