InterContinental HK rolls out print work

The three ads highlight the restaurant’s fusion cuisine, using the strapline ‘Unconventional Japanese’. They feature the restaurant’s celebrity chef, Nobu Matsuhisa, in a series of unconventional poses.

The goal is to present a less stuffy view of both the chef and the hotel brand. “Hong Kong people have become more food conscious in the last few years,” said Vanessa Williams, director of marketing at the InterContinental Hong Kong. “High-level restaurants have come into the marketplace for affluent foodies. We want exposure in local media in the hope of broadening the customer base of our restaurants.”

The ads, created by The Marketing Store, will appear in mass newspapers and magazines including Eat & Travel Weekly and SCMP Post magazine. The three versions of the print ad will be used until the first quarter of 2009.

The Marketing Store won the pitch for all regional advertising for InterContinental Hotels in April. This is the first project by the agency for the Hong Kong hotel.

Williams pointed out that Hong Kong hotels were unusual in turning to advertising. “Doing advertising for restaurants is unique to Hong Kong. Phenomenon restaurants don’t need to do advertising in LA , as there is always buzz for new places or where the celebrities dine.”