HSBC's Social Media Plan Succeeds At Ground Level

The summer is almost over, but before it’s gone we have to take note of one of this summer’s refreshing breezes.

HSBC, the same company that gave us those double-edged conceptual airport concourse ads that helped it become the highest rated bank in a survey of Best Global Brands, gave us its “Reading Room” in Bryant Park.

Outfitted with tables, chairs, umbrellas, and even reading materials, the area on the western edge of Bryant Park offers a respite from the traffic tumult along 42^nd Street and Sixth Avenue. “One of our key values is to be connected to our community, and to be open to new cultures and new ideas,” says spokesperson Heather Nesle, vice president of Community and Philanthropic Services. “And our corporate headquarters is right on the corner of 40th and Fifth Avenue, so it makes perfect sense.”

The reading room concept originally came from the New York Public Library, during the Depression. They closed the original reading room in 1944 due to WW2. In 2003, Bryant Park Corporation re-opened the Reading Room, and HSBC became their first sponsor. An estimated 20,000 people go through the park each day.

Like Samsung electric outlets at airports, Pico de GAP taco trucks, or even Jagermeister band sponsorships, brands are seeking ways to hit the whammy bar and delight consumers with their brand. These experiences go beyond products and services. Smart marketers realize their products are merchandise, but brands are a community of people who share similar tastes, values, and a communal sense of belonging. And they like to get together: in stores, on the web, and on the street.

Bringing people together under sun umbrellas is HSBC’s way of extending their brand, their brand values, and their customer base. “It’s our eighth year of doing the Reading Room now,” says Nesle. “Another one of our corporate values is being dependable, so we intend to be here again next year!” Get to Bryant Park if you can. And read on.