The good folks at the bank directed me to their PR agency, Weber Shandwick, who boast the tag “Marketing Magazine 2011 Hong Kong's PR Agency of the Year HKMA/TVB Awards for Marketing Excellence 2011 Best Marketing Partner” (sic). With all that behind them, they must know their stuff.
A nice chap called Giles Harrison, account supervisor, seemed surprised to be asked to explain the thinking behind this obviously very expensive ad. He would have to ring head office in Geneva and get back to me. Next day he did, telling me he had received further comment from the Geneva team overnight. “As the launch advert for Pictet’s Hong Kong branch, the image represents a bridge between old and new and a look into the future.”
Someone in a coolie hat staring at Wan Chai? I suggested he was pulling my leg and was not serious. Wrong. Back he came again. “It’s an artistic image and the bank liked it as they felt it captured the spirit mentioned below, and as a piece of creative (sic) others may see what they want in it. We appreciate your feeling differently about the image selection, but there is no more complex decision process beyond that.”
Still no nearer to a real explanation, so back to Pictet again. The head honcho, CEO Asia Claud Haberer, was out of town, a helpful person told me. I asked about the ad and said please don’t refer me to your PR people because they just ask Geneva and twice the response has shed no light whatsoever. The nameless member of staff giggled. “Oh, whatever you ask them, even if it’s ‘Will you be home for dinner tonight?’ the answer is ‘I’ll have to ask Geneva,’” I was told. This was a pointless mission anyway, because the advertising and marketing department was in London, not Geneva. Mine was not the first phone call received about the baffling advert, I was told.. “Actually,” the Pictet employee added, “I don’t understand it either and would like to know what it’s about as well.”
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