Staff from an Aberdeen bar flew stateside to showcase the best of the city – on a Times Square billboard.
Siberia Bar and Hotel wanted to go all-out for their latest campaign, and decided to put the Granite City well and truly in the spotlight.
They even managed to get the ad for a price most Aberdonians would approve of – paying just $40 (£33) for a “well-timed” 15 seconds through a handy site.
Business development manager Scott Anderson said: “It’s just a bit of fun and shows just how much we care about the city and our jobs.
“It’s a very nice city and the negativity that surrounds it and how you have to move outside of Aberdeen to thrive is a bit of a non-point.
“You can basically achieve whatever you want to achieve from Aberdeen. It’s all about how you go about things.”
Aberdeen to the 🌎.@MRobertandsons & @ItsHomeAlone are back with their biggest idea to date – not bad for two boys on Belmont Street. pic.twitter.com/IdzhZPM6RM
— Siberia Bar & Hotel (@SiberiaAberdeen) February 6, 2023
Wanted to show the world how much ‘we care about our city’
After seeing an article mentioning the site, Times Square Billboard, Mr Anderson pitched the idea of displaying the video in Times Square for an affordable price.
The ad, “Aberdeen to the World” features shots of Pittodrie, HM Theatre, Broad Street and of course, Siberia’s home on Belmont Street.
Mr Anderson and chef Mickey Robertson started making fun videos in lockdown to help engage their audience.
“Basically we’re putting a lot more emphasis on good content as opposed of pints and photos of food,” said Mr Anderson.
“So myself and our head chef, who’s a little bit of a joker himself, spend our days coming up with interesting ideas and things that kind of make us stand out a bit from the crowd.”
They have been putting a green screen to good use and have made several viral videos for their latest campaign.
People make Aberdeen.
We're very fortunate to live in a town such as ours. Creatives excel in every industry; from chefs & bakers to broadcasters, journalists and musicians. Initiatives such as the current @abdninspired restaurant week act as a fantastic outlet for creatives. pic.twitter.com/mGYaxnOoqL
— Siberia Bar & Hotel (@SiberiaAberdeen) January 19, 2023
Always looking to go further with ideas each time, they thought they would make the most of a business trip to New York.
“We knew we were coming across anyway so we figured that would be the most fun way to get our message across,” said Mr Anderson.
“We want people to have a nice time and enjoy them first and foremost.
“We’re not even necessarily selling anything in these videos.”
Video contains a hidden hint of future plans
The video was shown at 7pm on Sunday evening in Times Square for a total of 15 seconds with Mr Anderson and his boss looking “in disbelief” at their faces on the massive screen.
Mr Anderson said that since it’s been shared online, the reaction has been “really, really great”.
“It kind of makes it all worthwhile,” the 31-year-old, from Aberdeen, said. “It’s a massive achievement.
“So now it’s just a case of how do we one up it. Every single time I’ve made a video in the last month I’ve gone ‘How do we do the next one?’
“So this one’s just going to be a little bit harder to top.”
He hinted the video also contained an additional hint as to what the business will be up to next.
He added: “In the video we’re dropping a subliminal hint about what our future plans are for the next year.
“It’s related to the building we’ve bought next door on Belmont Street.”
In November, Siberia’s owners Harding Ltd announced they had bought the former Melt sandwich shop – pledging their plans will bring “more vibrancy” to the area.
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