Challenge:　

Everyone wants Gen Y’s attention. They are a generation that hates the hard sell. They are full of confidence and no-one can tell them what to do as they are true to themselves. To win their hearts, just being a quality brand or trustworthy brand is not enough. They prefer a brand with attitude, a brand that truly understands them. So Central, a 63-year-old department store, needed to stand as Gen Y’s ally, not only to catch their attention, but to show them that Central understands and shares their attitude towards shopping and doesn’t judge them.

Solution:　

We created the creative idea “Shop Responsibly: Shop Hard, Work Harder” based on insights we uncovered that Gen Y believes the era of having only one source of income is over and that the Gen Y shopper can’t wait: if they want something, they need have it now.

Real shopping experts come with life management skills. We saluted the ethics of these shopping experts by reinforcing that the ability to shop more comes from knowing you can work more. This attitude was not only a new way of thinking, it was also a statement by Central, Thailand’s No. 1 department store, encouraging all young shoppers to shop responsibly.

Result:　

“Shop Hard, Work Harder” helped make that year’s Central Midnight Sale the most profitable in the 20+ years that the event has been held. The campaign shifted Central’s brand image to include Gen Y, and made it relevant to younger shoppers. In terms of engagement ratio, this campaign performed 3.3 times better than Thailand’s average and 2 times better than the direct competitor’s during the same period.