Celebrating the history and re-enforcing the brand reputation of HSBC in Hong Kong
The Brand
In March 1865, HSBC opened its doors for business in Hong Kong, helping to finance trade between Europe and Asia. It has been part of Hong Kong life ever since.
The Challenge
To mark its 150th Anniversary in 2015, HSBC decided to released an HKD150 denominated banknote to let Hongkongers know that the bank has been with them for the past 150 years. They needed to tell their history to the people of Hong Kong to reinforce their leadership in the banking sector.
But collectable banknotes are nothing new. So how can make the banknote extra special to collectors? How can something as dry as history be made interesting and engaging to the everyday people?
The Thinking
"What if instead of telling the people of Hong Kong about the bank’s 150 years of history, get them involved and they will discover it themselves?"
HSBC 150th Anniversary
Augmented Reality Banknote APP
The Solution
By using augmented reality technology, an AR app named “HSBC 150” was created to bring their history to life. With the app, users simply scan either an image of the banknote or the actual banknote and they can take a 360° tour of the four HSBC headquarters, travel through 150 years of shared history with an AR animation of the Anniversary Banknote and discover the hidden elements of the note’s design. Thereby bringing to life the bank’s rich history in Hong Kong in a suitably forward-looking way.
The banknote and the AR app were promoted in a brief but extensive outdoor, print and digital campaign.
These collective memories evoke powerful emotions in Hongkongers, helping enhance HSBC’s relationship with the customer.
In the outdoor and print communications, the visual language aims to evoke a sense of both nostalgia as well as modernity, by combining historical imagery of old and modern day Hong Kong.
The Results
The launch made the front page of almost every local newspaper. The 150 AR App went straight to the Hong Kong App Store. The banknote was fully subscribed within 2 days, and the special commemorative sets ending up 65 times oversubscribed. By the end of the campaign, we received more than 8 million applications.
Front Page
of local newspapers.
No.1 App
in Hong Kong App store.
65x
oversubscribled.
8 Million
applications.