Wunderman Thompson HK staff bid farewell to colleague with creative OOH buy

An out-of-home ad at MTR Station Quarry Bay wishing a colleague a "happy last day" has caught the attention of HongKongers. The OOH ad said “Happy last day Samson 再見 Liu” and a local slang “過去的就讓它過去 曾經畢竟只是曾經”. Liu was an individual within the ad industry working at WPP owned Wunderman Thompson. Having joined the company in 2019, Liu was promoted from account manager to senior account manager in May last year.

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a spokesperson of Wunderman Thompson said: “Liu was a friend to all at Wunderman Thompson Hong Kong, and he has recently left the agency after an awesome five years in account servicing. To bid him farewell, his colleagues posted an ad. They wanted to do a send-off that would not be forgotten and show him how much he was liked at the agency.”

Designed with blue background, the ad has mini hearts and stars around Liu's image. The eye-catching billboard is placed at Exit C of the station. The ad has gotten netizens talking on social platforms such as LIHKG, with many asking where Liu is currently working and if  his colleagues paid for the billboard as a farewell gift to Liu.

Social listening firm Tocanan saw 9% of positive sentiments drawn by the incident, while 91% of them are neutral. 

While the ad industry has in recent times faced a talent crunch, there are incidents such as these that remind us of the fun and laughter the industry holds despite the tough working environment.

Previously in March, Wunderman Thompson China has promoted Joyce Ling to chief transformation and strategy officer. Ling will take on additional responsibilities to drive client growth and innovation through digital and business transformation opportunities. Back in October last year, Wunderman Thompson Hong Kong has named Maggie Wong as the CEO. Wong joined Wunderman Thompson from Publicis Worldwide & Leo Burnett, where she led the agency to significant growth as managing director of the Hong Kong operation. She started her role late October.

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