HONG KONG Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is launching a series of new global print ads featuring a trio of celebrities: Harry Connick Jr., Hélène Grimaud and Sa Ding Ding.
The ads are part of the ongoing campaign dubbed “He’s a Fan/She’s a Fan.” The three celebrities starring in the new ads are all regular guests of Mandarin Oriental properties.
Singer, songwriter, pianist and actor Connick is sometimes called a modern-day Frank Sinatra. Connick is a fan of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, where he performed in 2009 to an audience at an intimate evening in the hotel’s MO Bar. He calls the property “one of the greatest hotels I’ve ever stayed in.” Mary McCartney, the hotel group’s official campaign photographer, captured Connick in the tropical surrounds of Mandarin Oriental, Sanya.
The elegant and graceful French pianist Grimaud was photographed near her home in Switzerland. Grimaud performs at concerts worldwide, and has the unusual gift of experiencing synaesthesia—seeing music as color. She particularly enjoys staying at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London, as she often performs in the city’s famous music venues. Grimaud discovered the piano at the age of seven, and launched her professional career at the age of 18 with a solo recital in Paris.
Rising star Ding Ding was born in Mongolia and is a singer, musician, composer and choreographer. A product of modern China, she melds Eastern and Western music, even singing in Sanskrit and Tibetan, and has created her own language where new words are formed from the emotions evoked by music. McCartney’s portrait of the performer captures her colorful and vibrant personality and was taken during a recent tour in the UK, where the singer was a guest of Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London. Her newest album is called Harmony.
The campaign which is the creation of advertising gurus Alan Jarvie and Michael Moszynski, who head up London Advertising. The campaign simply and elegantly connects Mandarin Oriental’s recognized symbol, the fan, with international celebrities who regularly stay at the hotels and are true fans of the group. Earlier additions to the campaign were photographed by celebrated photographer Patrick Lichfield, who died in 2005. The group appointed McCartney in 2006.
“We continue to be delighted with the campaign, which celebrates 10 years this year, and believe it makes a strong statement about our group in a simple and luxurious manner,” says Jill Kluge, director of brand communications. “By focusing on celebrities who clearly appreciate the finer things in life, we have been able to show the quality of our hotels in a far more interesting way than traditional hotel advertising.”
Previous celebrity endorsers include IM Pei, Lance Armstrong, Michelle Yeoh, Jane Seymour, Kenzo Takada, Jerry Hall, Vanessa Mae, Vivienne Tam, Barry Humphries, Frederick Forsyth, Darcey Bussell, Bryan Ferry, Liam Neeson, Helen Mirren, Maggie Cheung, Sigourney Weaver and Sir David Tang. In appreciation of the celebrities’ support, the Mandarin Oriental makes donation to each individual’s charity of choice.