796 Huai Hai Lu

Richemont, one of the world’s largest luxury groups, established a new way of selling luxury products by creating a true brand experience for China customers.  To achieve this goal, they secured a ten-year lease of the historical protected twin villas in central Shanghai, where two Richemont brands, Alfred Dunhill and Vacheron Constantin, set their unique boutiques: Alfred Dunhill Home and Vacheron Constantin Mansion. The F&B operator and gallery partners KEE Club from Hong Kong and ShanghART from Shanghai were also invited to join the project. Richemont group brought the four operators together and made this luxury destination, which, named 796 Huai Hai Lu, stands out both inbound and outbound.

About the Account

The grand opening date of 796 Huai Hai Lu was set for October 17th, 2008. In May 2008, RFA was appointed by Richemont Group to handle the overall communications for the grand opening announcement of 796 Huai Hai Lu to media, guests, stakeholders and the government. Our primary objective was to announce the opening and position 796 Huai Hai Lu as the ultimate lifestyle destination for Chinese customers, while cultivating potential international consumers.

In order to create buzz around the opening and sustain interest after the opening, a four-phase media approach was implemented from September to December. To launch the program, RFA initiated a teaser campaign targeting selected media to generate interest and awareness and facilitate top media story pitches in the lead up to the grand opening. The soft opening and grand opening phases were covered by 200-plus media from China, AP region and SH-based foreign media through in-depth tours and selected media interviews.

As of February, 2009, a total of 189 media hits, including print and TV, have been generated, AVE RMB 40 million.