“Fresh Air’’ is the new campaign tool of Hong Kong’s Clean Air Network, a nongovernmental group that promotes awareness of the quality of air in highly polluted Hong Kong. The city’s air is three times more polluted than New York’s and more than twice as bad as London’s.

Instead of sticking with serious, public service-announcement-style of campaigns, Clean Air Network tried to make the campaign in an innovative way by using humor and having a celebrity. I find it is a creative and powerful marketing strategy in addressing the issue of environmental conservation among younger people in Hong Kong.

Firstly, Clean Air Network invited the Hong Kong actor, Daniel Wu, who is especially popular with younger Hong Kongers, to act in its minute-and-a-half spoof of a 1980s-style infomercial. The influence of Daniel Wu among younger generations might help to raise young people’s awareness of protecting the environment effectively.

Secondly, the advertisement itself is innovative and ironical. It is a video about selling ‘Fresh Air’ — the ‘‘revolutionary new product’’ that lets you experience breathing ‘‘like the rest of the world does.’’ It comes in a baby-blue canister complete with breathing mask, and in a variety of ‘‘flavors,’’ including vanilla and beach. It can be yours for only 2 dollars and you can even get six for the price of one. The interesting video seeks to educate viewers by taking a tongue-in-cheek approach to the dangers of air pollution. Watching the ad might evoke a chuckle or two, but the overall message is deep: “If we do nothing about Hong Kong’s air pollution today, we can look forward to unbreathable air tomorrow.”

The campaign video had more than 143,000 views on YouTube within only six days. And it was widely shared by publics on Facebook. This proves the success of Clean Air Network’s marketing program in attracting public’s attention to build strong customer relationships in order to capture value from customers in return.