Café de Coral’s ‘Menu Mate’ mascot spices up HK IP festival

Hong Kong fast-food chain Café de Coral has joined forces with dentsu Hong Kong to launch a brand activation at the city's crossover intellectual property (IP) festival CON-CON HONG KONG 2026, featuring its mascot Menu mate (餐牌仔) as a central element.

The activation aims to blend traditional Hong Kong-style dining culture with CON-CON's vibrant fandom, creating immersive, interactive experiences native to the festival's cross-cultural atmosphere.

Don't miss: Café de Coral taps Gen Z slang to reimagine breakfast ritual

The activation is also part of a wider campaign running until the end of April that introduces Café de Coral's new brand platform, "Hong Kong flavour is a must (港味要有)," which focuses on everyday local tastes and rituals. It draws on Cantonese Gen Z slang to reposition breakfast as a simple way to start the day. To bring this platform to life through an end-to-end creative takeover, the new activation took place from 4 to 5 April at AsiaWorld-Expo.

Ahead of the festival, Café de Coral teased the floor with a light-hearted social takeover on the brand's newly refreshed Instagram. Introducing a playful, limited-edition pop-up character named Menu mate, the brand hosted an interactive "ask-me-anything" that blended humour, local references and brand storytelling. This digital-to-physical crossover built online hype before dropping the character directly onto the festival floor.

During the event, the activation unfolded as a playful takeover led by the mascot. Combining cosplay with performance, Menu mate injected local Hong Kong culture directly into the CON-CON universe, interacting with fans in a way that suited the festival's IP-driven environment.

Complementing Menu mate's presence, the activation invited audiences to enjoy Hong Kong street snacks, take part in a tongue-twister challenge, and capture the moment at a social‑ready photo spot grounded in local culture.

"Café de Coral has always been a staple of everyday Hong Kong life, and we want to continue engaging with our community wherever they are." said Angel Tam, marketing director, Café de Coral. "By joining an exciting IP event such as Con-Con, we are stepping outside our restaurants to share the fun and create memorable experiences right alongside our customers."

"To truly connect with the audience, we knew we couldn't just show up as an exhibitor, but needed to show up as a fan," said Diana Tam, managing partner and director of operations, dentsu Hong Kong. "Our vision was to take Café de Coral and seamlessly weave it into pop culture. It's about creating unexpected, joyful moments together, proving that iconic brands can be just as dynamic and relevant as the IPs these communities celebrate."

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Café de Coral for more information.

In fact, "Hong Kong flavour is a must" draws inspiration from a popular Cantonese Gen Z slang term "MNYY (Must-need-要有)", a phrase used to describe everyday essentials that are non-negotiable. Framed through this insight, the campaign anchored on "A great start is a must（靚早要有)", presenting a wholesome breakfast not merely as a meal, but as a feel-good ritual that helps people get into the right headspace before the campaign sets the tone for how Café de Coral will continue to celebrate local taste and everyday relevance through future brand initiatives.

To bring the message to life, the campaign stars rising pop artist Egg Wong (阿蛋), creating a playful cultural wink by using "Egg" to promote eggs. The name alignment adds an instantly recognisable hook, turning a familiar product into a light-hearted conversation starter that resonates with younger audiences who value humour, relatability and authenticity.

Mark your calendars for 24 June! #Content360 Hong Kong returns with a dynamic, one-day event dedicated to pivotal trends—from the silver economies to breakthrough IP collaborations, sports, and beyond. Let's dive into the art of curating content with creativity, critical thinking and confidence!

Related articles:
Café de Coral taps Gen Z slang to reimagine breakfast ritual
Café de Coral distributes 18,000 soft meal vouchers to HK’s elderly
Café de Coral and Shanghai Lao Lao introduce inclusive Shanghainese dining