HR 120th Anniversary Campaign
case study
Helena Rubinstein [HR] celebrates 120 years and strengthens brand presence in Hong Kong with Fala Chen.
With Fala grounded in New York at the height of Covid travel restrictions, Matte Grey [MG] helps HR pivot with a two phase campaign. Despite initial concerns around remote production from previous experiences. Matte Grey successfully deployed a remote team in New York to deliver promotional content ahead of Hong Kong’s product launch event at 1881 Heritage. The Hong Kong team then provided coverage of the event, capturing interactions and excitement, delivering on-the-fly shareable content to guests to catalyse media coverage as well as the launch itself.
Approach - Phase 1
With the talent unable to return to Hong Kong for the originally planned video and photo shoot, the team pivoted to remote shooting in New York. Matte Grey enlisted the help of overseas connections with prior experience working with the L’Oreal Group, and located a filming location that would allow the team to pre-light and film – while remaining within budget.
New York team: Director: James Weber Art Director: Jonathan Pozniak Photographer: Anne Z Local Fixer/Producer: Even Yu / Guoran Yu
Pre-lighting took place from 11pm - 9am Hong Kong time on day 1, and the shoot itself, the subsequent evening; starting around 6pm Hong Kong time, and ending at 9am. Zoom calls were set up to allow the Hong Kong team to relay comments and feedback in real time; a grueling schedule, but a smooth production and results.
Approach - Phase 2
Held three months after Phase 1, Matte Grey’s role was to fully capture the excitement and interactions from VIP guests. Divided into four zones plus a spa area on the second floor, each zone was stationed with a photographer and one roaming videographer. Organized in hourly waves; guests and VVIPs journeyed through the zones, ending at the spa area. Between each session, runners dropped off photos for the respective groups; prepared and ready for sharing.
This loop of filming arrival to delivering photos to individual guests receiving the photos took place between 10am to 7pm, at which point, the team refocused to capture the opening ceremony outside 1881. The highlight video was delivered the following morning on social media, so that all influencers and guests could reshare to their platforms in a timely manner.On the Hong Kong side, the brand took over the space at 1881 Heritage, created a journey within the property, and utilized unique zones to showcase the four lines of product under HR. With an emphasis on storytelling, guided tours will provided as VIP guests and the public went through the experience.
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Local Activation/Event highlight
Hong Kong team:
Videographer: Al Ling
Photography team: Ken Fung