Café de Coral launches campaign tugging at heartstrings of Hongkongers

Hong Kong-based fast food chain Café de Coral, has launched a new branding campaign featuring dementia patients, to encourage the society to support vulnerable people in need. Also known as “有大家，就有大家樂”, the campaign consists of three stories, each celebrating the love between those around us. “Missing Grandfather” celebrates family love across generations, “WFH Boyfriend” reminds us to appreciate our partner, whereas “Brothers” is a toast to friendship. Each story brings to life the familiar taste of comfort and happiness with our loved ones: a taste of togetherness. 

Developed by Dentsu Mcgarrybowen and Carat, the idea behind the campaign comes not only from the heart of the brand but also its Cantonese name "大家樂"— ‘Happy Together’, but also reminds everyone of all the beautiful relationships we may have overlooked, especially over the last few years with the pandemic in Hong Kong.

In the first video ad "Missing Grandfather", which was aired on 24 June 2022, a little girl was seen at Café de Coral getting her first taste of baked pork chop rice with her grandpa. As time went by her grandpa suffered from dementia and became absent minded and the two slowly drifted apart. As the little girl became an adult the video showed her refusing to take her grandpa to the doctor. One day her grandpa went missing and the girl found him at a Café de Coral nearby. Her grandpa recalled the memories of her and himself eating at the restaurant. Finally the two reconciled by reconnecting through a meal at the restaurant.

The second video "WFH Boyfriend", which went public on 30 June 2022, depicts a pair of couple working from home for long hours, resulting in a lack of having actual quality time spent together for a meal. The two then separated only to meet again at Café de Coral to became each other’s best company. The third video ad which is going to be published on 7 July 2022, describes four good friends who used to spend time at Café de Coral after playing basketball together. However despite one of them migrating, they decided to set up a virtual meeting, implying that geographical differences will not affect their relationship.

The full campaign is being delivered through mass TV, digital media, social media, cinema, and outdoor, with many different ad formats including programmatic banners and lift lobbies.

William Tsing, marketing director at Café de Coral, said: “Where there’re Hong Kong people, there’s Café de Coral. We want to spotlight this statement through launching the new brand campaign. Everyone in Hong Kong makes our long-standing business possible, and they will always find familiarity, care, and love here.”

Jeffry Gamble, chief creative officer of Dentsu International Hong Kong, said: “We wanted to leverage Café de Coral’s legacy and brand value of being a place where everyone will find happiness.” said . “The stories capture the everyday lives of Hong Kong people and remind them of all the happy moments they have all had at Cafe de Coral.”

Anna Chan, CEO of media line of business at Dentsu International Hong Kong, added: “We deployed two sets of media strategies based on specific audience insights and behaviours. One of the challenges for media is how to deliver the three stories with a balance of impact, relevancy, and efficacy. By leveraging the tailored targeting architectures of mass media, programmatic, and market first programmatic OOH solutions, we effectively delivered the message to Hong Kong mass market.”

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