Hasta La Creative!

There are many sources for people to find things to see and do in Shanghai. But Time Out goes deeper than others, to find the hidden gems of the city. The challenge was to demonstrate this in a meaningful, attention-getting way. Doing so would help differentiate Time Out Shanghai, increasing its readers and users, and making it more attractive to advertisers.

The insight is really in the product itself: Time Out Shanghai digs deeper into the city to find hidden gems that might not otherwise be discovered.

To demonstrate this, we created the Stolen Phone Tour. We purposely “lost” Time Out Shanghai’s cell phone, and placed it on a random street in Shanghai, available for any passerby to pick up. Once someone did, they received a text: “Get in the London cab that just pulled up.”

The cab, a nod to Time Out’s London roots, would carry the phone snatchers around the city to discover places they would have never found on their own. The only communication was through text messages on the phone. Each stop along the way was captured by hidden camera.

Advertising Agency: Energy BBDO, Shanghai, China
Creatives: Kevin Lynch, Nate Gagnon, Alex Zhao, Alex Lim
Production Company: Limelight Studios
Director: Kristian Hansen
Music title & Artist: “Shen Xian Yao” by AM444