'Take Your Time to See': Oriental Watch Company taps into HK movie to bring neon signs to life in theatres

Continuing its momentum with its previous branding campaign "Take Your Time to Rediscover the City", Oriental Watch Company has partnered with local creative agency Omelette Digital and 3JBK Production again to encourage HongKongers to take their time to magnify their senses and explore Hong Kong through a multisensory experience in the latest edition of its campaign that revolves around sense of "sight".

The brand this time is tapping into the upcoming Hong Kong movie "A Light Never Goes Out" (燈火闌珊) to bring neon signs to life with cinema on-screen advertising at selected movie theatres that play before the movie. The vibrant neon lights that illuminate Hong Kong have become a hallmark of the city’s history and a symbol of the city's identity. With "A Light Never Goes Out", they are under the spotlight once again. Sylvia Chang, Simon Yam, Cecilia Choi, Henick Chou, and Alma Kwok star in this film that captures the beauty and struggles behind people who keep Hong Kong's neon signs alive.

Oriental Watch Company's latest campaign video reveals a similar sentimentality, of which one of the last local neon sign craftsmen Wu Chi Kai, discusses how he maintains his never-fading passion for neon sign making by defying change and passing down the craftsmanship, aiming to bring this extraordinary art into a new light. “Neon signs are purely handmade. It is a process of turning something lifeless into something so full of life with your bare hands, radiating with light,” said Wu.

The campaign goes live from 13 April, the same day as the launch date of the local film “A Light Never Goes Out”, and will be broadcast before the movie at five local cinemas including Golden Scene Cinema, PALACE IFC, MOVIE MOVIE Pacific Place, Elements and MOVIE MOVIE Cityplaza. This aims to create similar response strategy in an immediate and positive way with the brand’s potential customer which have relevant messages in response to neon signs and related social issues.

The campaign will also be promoted via local independent media, including Hong Kong Reminiscence (香港遺美), The Culturist, MPW Culture (明周文化), amongst others as they are known for preserving and rediscovering local cultures, providing an insightful look at Hong Kong's iconic neon signs.

Oriental Watch Company has been a close witness to the evolution of this city for more than 60 years. “It is encouraging to see more audience support movies that embrace local culture and heritage, and this coincides with Oriental Watch Company's brand vision, which encourages people to take the time to appreciate the beauty of their city — as time isn't just about the minutes and the seconds, it is about what has come out of it. We are fortunate to have come across the movie 'A Light Never Goes Out', and utilise cinema advertising to portray neon lights from different perspectives for the movie’s audience,” said Anthony Tsang, head of marketing and digital (Greater China Region), Oriental Watch Company.

Don't miss: Oriental Watch Company rediscovers HK with multisensory campaign

This comes after Oriental Watch Company further developed its first branding campaign “Take Your Time" into four chapters last November. Also known as "Take Your Time To Rediscover The City”, the campaign aims to take audiences on a multisensory journey to experience the city's beauty via four different senses - sound, taste, aroma and sight. The campaign will continue to serve as a sustaining communication platform for Oriental Watch Company to further enhance its connections with locals.

The campaign was kicked off by a teaser done in collaboration with surrealist artist SurrealHK, followed by four chapters of online videos, each featuring one of the senses and a special guest that can best tell the story from a local perspective.

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