Hong Kong was the first stop in Asia for Geoffrey the Giraffe during Toys R Us’ global campaign to unite children around the world.
Geoffrey the Giraffe, the beloved mascot of Toys R Us, touched down in Hong Kong during his first stop in Asia as part of Geoffrey’s World Tour. Before his arrival on 17th September, more than 100 families across Hong Kong participated in an online photo contest for their chance to meet Geoffrey and win a toy shopping spree, one the main events of his visit to Asia’s World City.
To enter, participants were asked to submit a photo that showed their happiest moments at Toys R Us, along with their explanation of what makes Toys R Us a special place for them. The winner of the shopping spree was a young family, with the mother, Janet, submitting a photo of her daughter about to enter her local Toys R Us store and beaming with excitement.
In the photo description, Janet describes the deep connection and long term relationship people have with Toys R Us, starting with “love at first” sight as a toddler, then wanting to “visit every day” as a young child, followed by entering the store as a parent in your 30s, as a grandparent in your 60s, and then finally in your 80s, visiting Toys R Us stores just to feel the excitement and hear the laughter of children.
“We were amazed to see all the happy pictures and inspired by the creativity and imagination shown in the photo descriptions by the children who participated in the contest!” said Pamela Wong, general manager of Toys R Us Hong Kong. “They truly showed how much children and their parents enjoy their time at Toys”R”Us stores across Hong Kong, whether playing with toys, posing with their favourite cartoon characters, and enjoying time as a family! The experience kids have at Toys R Us has helped us to develop special bond with families, with magic moments here that fuel a child’s imagination and create treasured memories for all whenever they visit us.”
Janet’s son took part in the toy shopping spree event on 17th September at Toys R Us’ MegaBox store, giving him one minute to quickly collect any toy he wanted. The lucky winner walked away with a bag full of Pokémon toys and a few dolls for his younger sister.
Also, during his tour, Geoffrey was treated to a tour of one of Hong Kong’s most iconic sites, the Central pier overlooking the breathtaking Hong Kong skyline and its busy harbour, hosted by a local child ambassador.
Geoffrey’s World Tour was launched by Toys R Us in June and is the company’s first 360-degree global marketing campaign. The campaign has been following Geoffrey the Giraffe as he embarked on a world tour beginning at the Toys R Us global flagship in the US, followed by visits and activations in London, Madrid, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Dubai, and markets in Asia.
Each stop on Geoffrey’s World Tour is hosted by a local Toys R Us child ambassador and features in-store, e-commerce and social media activations, including sweepstakes to win a shopping spree for consumers. The campaign will culminate with the launch of a global YouTube series that captures each of Geoffrey’s visits from the child ambassador’s perspectives. In the series, Geoffrey will be shown with the ambassadors in their city as they share kid-friendly fun facts about their communities, and experience at the Toys R Us store event.
