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Whatever happened to ideas, Hong Kong?

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I like to watch local TV. Sometimes I sit and browse and stare at television shows, the language of which I can’t understand, because I see it as my job to keep an eye on who’s doing what in the ad world.There was a time, when that meant being pleasantly surprised by the odd nice TV commercial. Either funny, or beautiful or borne out of a really clever idea.These days? There’s as much chance of that happening as there is England winning the football World Cup again. That’s right, remote.But where did it all go wrong? Whatever happened to the brilliant original creativity behind great campaigns from the past for brands such as Just Gold, Optical 88, Sunday, New World Mobility and Vitasoy, to name but a few.In today’s Hong Kong, every single TV ad seems to follow a pattern, a trend. It’s as if the creative teams have simply selected “Let’s choose idea number 7” and go with that.Don’t believe me? Here are a few of the recurring themes. Ideas we see repeated over and over.1. The replacement head This entails being really really hilarious by placing the product, or an object of some sort, on the head or heads of persons in the commercial. Designed to be wacky or really fun, it’s become such a cliché that almost every other spot now features some idea based on this. Once upon a time, years ago, when this first happened, it may have been original. But now? Closely followed by the joke Afro hair-do.2. The product as cartoon character If you can’t think of an idea, turn the product into a cute little character who intervenes in people’s lives to solve their problems and make them happy again. Usually they sing a little jingle to make it all even more uplifting.3. Holding hands together Usually reserved for public service announcements, the idea is that if everyone in Hong Kong holds hands and smiles, then social problems will magically vanish. In the world of PSA’s, you never ever see the miserable faces that pervade on the streets every day in the world of people struggling to survive. You just see a happy, shining Hong Kong wonderland.4. The perfect child In Hong Kong TV ads, children are not children. They are perfectly groomed astoundingly clever and cute little angels who open their mouths to utter words that have been put there by agency copywriters with strict instructions from their clients. The result is nearly always annoyingly sickly, with children acting in ways that are completely unnatural. This non-idea is usually reserved for any products to do with child-enhancement, but people creating government announcements somehow think this is also a great way to change social behavior.5. The perfect family Featured in just about any TV ad for foods (especially rice or cooking oil) or home appliances, the perfect family live in a perfect home with perfect lives. And any small problems are instantly eradicated by the product.6. The wandering soul Usually popular for either camera ads or jewellery. The hero or heroine is normally some amazingly attractive lone individual who wanders remote corners of the globe taking meaningless photos with a beatific smile as if discovering their inner self. A good music soundtrack is normally applied to cover up the fact there is no concept. The guy usually has longish hair and a goatee to indicate that he is not an accountant.I’m not making this up. This is the sorry state of Hong Kong advertising today. And while there are some exceptions, these are the general rule.In days gone by, Hong Kong agencies produced original ideas based on insight-driven strategies. The creative people were pushed to be original. To solve problems in new and different ways. If it had been done before, you killed it at birth.These days, it seems to be compulsory that it's tried and tested.Is that what’s happened to our industry?Chris Kyme is CEO of Kymechow. He is one of the most renowned ad men in Hong Kong, having worked with Grey, FCB and Eight Partnership. In 2010 he set up his own firm Kymechow focused on providing creative services.

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