Discover Hong Kong has #MissYouToo hashtag hijacked by protest voices

The efficacy of hashtags for brands varies highly depending on the thinking behind their implementation. While most are poorly considered afterthoughts jettisoned into the endless abyss of social media, the occasional #ShareACoke or #MyCalvins will become a sensation. Yet one repeatedly overlooked risk is that even if a hashtag does get popular, it might not be for the reasons that a brand hopes. Hong Kong Tourism Board’s (HKTB) Discover Hong Kong brand is learning a harsh lesson.

On Saturday 16 May, Discover Hong Kong posted a tweet as part of a social campaign, voicing a wish to return to better times.

Accompanied by a looping visual, the Tweet read:

“We all miss you too, but at the end of every tunnel, a glimmer of light brings the hope of better times ahead and it’ll be our time to shine.

#MissYouToo #HKMissesYouToo #MissYouTooHK #MissYouTooHongKong #DiscoverHongKong"

That mass of hashtags was likely meant to inspire Hongkongers to share their own nostalgic memories of the city, hopes for the future, and other feelgood messages ripe for retweeting by the Discover Hong Kong account. Unfortunately, the city’s less-than-cheery mood – following a recent IPCC report clearing the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) of its actions during the last year of protest – resulted in a slew of creative tweets appropriating the hashtags to voice outrage at the government and HKPF.

 https://twitter.com/HKWORLDCITY/status/1262035629371568128

In fact, it’s been difficult to find any positive tweets using the hashtag which has by this morning continued to be adopted by people using it to show support for the protests. Though it’s up to Discover Hong Kong to make the call; unless it has a highly inventive way of spinning this we’d suggest chalking this one up to a loss and not following it up. It’s no #susanalbumparty blunder by any measure but sometimes making up a hashtag is simply not worth the bother for a brand when an audience will be tempted to repurpose it.

This attempt by Discover Hong Kong to clear the air and begin making inroads to lure tourists back to the city – after massive drops in the wake of the protests and the COVID-19 pandemic – follows the recent appointment of Ogilvy Malaysia by the HKTB. It also follows the Hong Kong government’s call to take on a PR agency to repair the city’s fractured reputation.

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