British Council campaign unzips young adults' confidence in learning English

The British Council (BC) appointed M&C Saatchi Hong Kong, after a pitch in Q4, to launch its first advertising campaign for myClass, a new young-adult course that provides English learners with greater flexibility, convenience and choice in terms of credits and modules, according to the council.

The integrated campaign, which consists of three print ads, OOH, online and mobile elements, is running from now until the end of the year.

The BC has been in operation in Hong Kong since 1948. Glenda Tsang, group account director of M&C Saatchi Hong Kong, told Campaign Asia-Pacific that the BC is a household name among English learners, but the new campaign hopes to refresh and rejuvenate the brand's image.

"The talents’ quirky look in the ad is funny and interesting, which is an exaggerated way to portray learners’ desire to speak English," she said. "We hope the audience can get the message across easily, while also appreciating the fun element of the visual," she added.

What differentiates the BC's myClass course from other English learning insitutes in Hong Kong is that students can pick and choose their course modules along the way. This suits young adults who travel frequently, Tsang said.

“With myClass we want to further improve our offers by giving students much greater control over their learning progress," added Chris Leung, director of marketing and communications for BC Hong Kong. "Using the newly built online booking system, the students can select the class date and time, topic and teacher anytime and even change their selection if necessary."