A missed opportunity to promote HK as IShowSpeed's tour slammed for mismanagement?

American Gen Z YouTuber IShowSpeed (Speed) has dominated headlines after his recent Hong Kong tour triggered criticisms for chaotic itinerary arrangements and not reflecting the city’s highlights. 

IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr., shot to fame through his dynamic livestreams on YouTube and has built a substantial global following. With 38 million subscribers, Speed’s visit was treated as an excellent opportunity to promote Hong Kong. 

Having arrived in Hong Kong last Friday (4 April), Speed engaged in various local customs, such as villain hitting (打小人) at Goose Neck Bridge in Causeway Bay, visiting pandas and feeding penguins at Ocean Park, and trying Hong Kong street food. The livestream garnered over 10,000,000 views, according to a check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw on YouTube. 

Don't miss: IShowSpeed's HK tour cops flak for missing the city's highlights in itinerary

Media intelligence firm uMaxData saw a total of over 12,119 mentions across local forums on 4 and 5 April regarding the incident, with 68% negative, 6.5% positive and 25.5 neutral sentiments. On 5 April, YouTube activity remained high at 5,918 mentions, covering continued discussions about IShowSpeed's activities in Hong Kong, with sentiments being 38.7% negative, 36.2% negative and 25.1% neutral.  

Facebook also saw a notable increase in activity on 5 April, reaching 5,687 mentions, mainly reflecting reactions to and extended discussions from the previous day's events, with 52.5% negative, 24.6% positive and 22.9% neutral sentiments. Associated keywords include "Hong Kong", "China", "hippo", "ishowspeed", "America", "quality", "international", "hippo".

Much of the content revolves around dissatisfaction and criticism of tour guide services, said uMaxData. “People complained about IShowSpeed being taken to inappropriate places or situations where seating arrangements were poorly managed, leaving him confused and dissatisfied. There were also discussions about improper behaviour by tour guides, with claims that their actions negatively impacted Hong Kong's image.” 

While Speed was guided by local YouTubers Torres Pit and Bertram Lau, they received backlash from netizens for their dull and inappropriate itinerary. Several netizens criticised Pit for allegedly teaching Speed to use profanity, which was detrimental to Hong Kong's image. Some netizens said his dialogue was embarrassing and dull, also deeming it inappropriate for him to promote his own YouTube channel during the tour, a check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE on Threads saw. 

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said in a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it had communicated with Speed's team and proposed assisting during the visit. However, it did not receive any requests for assistance, and Speed's itinerary in Hong Kong was self-arranged. HKTB added that it welcomes anyone to visit Hong Kong and promote the city.

On the PR front 

Despite Speed’s Hong Kong tour garnering lots of negative sentiments, David Ko, managing director, RFI Asia, said the criticisms appear to miss the mark as Speed’s content is authentic to his personal brand and resonates with his massive audience. 

“His self-arranged itinerary allowed him to maintain the spontaneous, energetic style that has made him successful,” he added. 

While some netizens criticised aspects such as alleged profanity or promotion of his own channel, these elements are consistent with his content style that has built him a following of millions, he said. “For influencers such as Speed, the best approach is to stay authentic to their brand and audience expectations.” 

Keso Kendall, SVP, APAC, Team Lewis, said ultimately it’s always going to feel like a missed opportunity when a city has the ability to capitalise on a trip from an influencer with the clout and audience like that of Speed. "His livestreams during his trips in Asia regularly topped 30 million viewers – that’s more than the populations of HK and SG combined."

"However, the most successful influencers will always want a level of freedom and anonymity when creating their content because that is what their audience comes to them for. We’ve seen reports that the Hong Kong Tourism Board did reach out to Speed’s team but they didn’t respond – but it’s understandable that Speed and his team decided to do their own thing as that is how he’s built his success," Kendall added.

Despite Speed's unplanned approach causing hiccups such as missing checkpoints, it accidentally showcased niche local culture such as "villain hitting”, that global audiences rarely see, according to Carol Yeung, managing director of Golin Hong Kong. "This raw perspective can attract travelers seeking genuine experiences."

"Speed should emphasise that his trip was self-funded and organic, not a paid partnership with tourism boards. By stating upfront that his content reflects his personal interests such as niche customs, street food, he can reset expectations. If time allows and he will visit Hong Kong again before he ends his Asia trip, he can reference the comments and do a refined itinerary taking into consideration the viewers’ feedback," she added.

What more can be done to reflect the city's charms?

While the intention was commendable, the execution fell short, according to Yvonne Ma, founder and managing director, Eighty20. "Itinerary planning is the backbone of an exceptional fam tour, tailored to the unique needs of celebrities and influencers such as Speed. On-site management and proactive coordination with third parties are crucial to ensure a seamless experience that leaves guests eager to return."

"This time, the itinerary felt all too familiar – a missed opportunity to showcase the vibrant, evolving side of the city. In the race to stay relevant, adaptability is key. Let this be a lesson for both Hong Kong and Singapore: embrace the trends, or risk being left behind," she added.

Similarly, Speed's tour in Singapore back in September 2024 also drew criticisms from netizens after his first livestream was abruptly cut short as he queued for the Transformers ride at the Universal Studios Singapore (USS). However, Jianhao Tan, the influencer that took him around, said he was approached by Speed via direct message requesting a "tour guide" less than a day before the 20-year-old YouTuber arrived in Singapore.

In regions like Hong Kong and Singapore where citizens are quite opinionated, Kevin Shui, chief marketing officer of AI-powered influencer marketing platform Starry, said it is not surprising to receive diverse comments regarding Speed's tour. But he added that business interest or calculations should be opted out for visits of international influencers like Speed. "Top-notch hospitality, concrete plan without obligations, comes before personal or business agenda, adding a little surprise and delight is also a way to deal with these world-class KOLs or celebrities."

Impress them, use them, then they will be more likely to create an organic tweet for you, or give good comments.

For cities which want influencers to showcase specific narratives, Golin's Yeung suggested offering paid collaborations with clear expectations, such as specifying which landmarks to visit, and the corresponding themes. "Unofficial trips can also generate buzz – tourism boards can amplify positive moments retroactively such as resharing positive clips from Speed’s trip upon consent; and streamline the process of influencers’ access to recommended itinerary."

For tourism bodies in a similar situation, the most effective approach is fostering an environment that welcomes diverse visitors while respecting their unique content styles, RFI's Ko added. "An open, progressive atmosphere that appreciates various perspectives will naturally attract more positive coverage than attempting to control messaging."

"Success comes from understanding that authentic content, even if imperfect by traditional tourism marketing standards, often resonates more deeply with audiences than carefully scripted promotions. As long as visitors respect local laws and genuinely appreciate Hong Kong's unique qualities, imposing standardized expectations may do more harm than good," he added.

Ultimately, influencer strategy is about really understanding the influencer and their audience, as well as defining what outcomes one wants from the engagement, said Kendall. "If it’s purely mass awareness / hype, then someone such as Speed is a good option but you need to know that you won’t have much control over the content. If you want to be more targeted and in control, then organisations need to define which audience they want to reach and what they want the audience to take away from the content."

"Are there specific attractions, infrastructure or cultural experiences you want to highlight? Then work backwards to select influencers that have the right content and audience mix for your brand and work with them to agree on some of the outcomes you want to see. We see influencers still being the best way to reach some audiences – so it’s an essential part of the marketing mix – but it requires specific expertise and processes to run successfully," Kendall added.

Join us this coming 17 June for #Content360 Hong Kong, an insightful one-day event centered around responsible AI, creativity VS influencers, Xiaohongshu and more. Let's dive into the art of curating content with creativity, critical thinking and confidence!

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