Introducing Whiskers

As the introduction of Whiskers approached, the anticipation and excitement grew stronger and stronger.  We could all sense a crescendo nearing.   After months of design work and development of the character, it was time for the big reveal.   The sales and marketing team concentrated on a strategy and action plan to bring Whiskers to life and include him in various communications to the public.  The top priority for the team was to make Whiskers famous and well-known, as quickly as possible.  First was the local Hong Kong market and then onto global markets.

Whiskers was a gift to the advertising and Public Relations effort.   He was included in all PR communications internally and externally.   Internally, we wanted Whiskers to be accepted by the staff at the park as each of them would help in promoting the new ambassador for Ocean Park.   Acceptance was remarkable within the Hong Kong community.  Within weeks of his introduction, the noise created for Whiskers became a roar and it was gratifying to see the warm response from the local market.   Whiskers was accepted and the public stated loudly that they welcomed his arrival and were anxious to see more of him.

With the confidence of his acceptance, we proceeded to bring him to life, not only in print but as a walk-around character.   The entertainment team was tasked with this assignment, and they took it on with great enthusiasm.   Within a short period, Whiskers was real and walking around the park greeting guests.  He was an absolute hit with all ages, especially young children.   We wanted him to be more famous than any of us.   The market will forget us but we wanted the market to never forget Whiskers.

As he became so well-loved in the park, we desired to bring him out into the community.   We also said, if you don’t come to see Whiskers, we will bring him out to see you.   The entertainment team created a show featuring Whiskers and we brought him out to events in malls and other public spaces, wherever there was a crowd. 

One event stood out which made all the effort worthwhile.  About 6 months after his introduction, we did a roadshow with Whiskers at a shopping mall in Shatin.   A large, eager, enthusiastic crowd gathered to welcome Whiskers and our Ocean Park team.  Whiskers and all of us were totally energized and so very grateful for the turnout.   I had an opportunity to present a marketing message and ended it with a question to test if the audience truly knew Whiskers.

The Shatin mall was a prominent stop on the MTR (subway train) line between Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon and Lowu, the last stop before crossing over to Shenzhen.  At the time, upwards of 350,000 people rode on the subway line every day in Kowloon.  The MTR was a vital transportation link throughout all of Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the new territories.  Residents highly depended on it.   At that time, there were 13 stops between Kowloon and Lowu.   The residents of Shatin rode the MTR every day.  Knowing this, I asked the question, “Who knows how many stops there are on the MTR line between Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon and Lowu?” Since they ride the MTR every day and have been riding it for years, I thought everyone would know the answer.   There was laughter in the audience and some puzzled looks on their faces.   Surprisingly, no one knew the exact number and there were multiple guesses with multiple answers.

 Then I asked, “How many know the name of Ocean Park’s new mascot?”  We were happily shocked to see that all hands in the audience went up and they shouted out his name.   They all knew Whiskers, by his English as well as his Chinese name.  We could not have been more pleased.  Within 6 months, Whiskers was recognized and known in Hong Kong, perhaps not yet famous, but surely moving in that direction.

Since that event, Whiskers continued to gain fame and prominence in Hong Kong and became a part of the family by bringing cheers, laughter, excitement, and FUN to park guests. He was a regular participant in all marketing activities, advertising, and PR communications. 

We set out to create a star and succeeded.