HK's giant duck deflates: Could organisers have handled it better?

Yesterday, Hong Kong-based creative brand AllRightsReserved reassured that the two giant rubber ducks will be on view again at the Victoria Harbour, after the organisers decided to deflate one of the duo as a routine check found its surface was overstretched due to the hot weather and rising air pressure.

According to the official statement, AllRightsReserved said that as soon as the deflated duck was transported to the shipyard in Tsing Yi, the team started working tirelessly in the rain to conduct condition checks. 

“Multiple tests have been conducted in response to the recent weather. The Rubber Duck will thus be on view again at the Victoria Harbour... The team has prepared to respond to the unexpected challenges such as changing weather conditions and external factors facing large-scale outdoor inflatable art installation in the sea,” the statement read. 

The creator of the ducks, Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman stated, “The Rubber Duck project is a challenging installation and weather is always the paramount challenge to cope with. I’m glad that the Hong Kong people are still very anxious and supportive despite the siesta the Rubber Duck needs to take this time. A lot of people went to accompany the remaining duck by the Victoria Harbour... I’m very touched, once again, by the vigour, hope, positive feedback I personally got and creativity from Hong Kong people.”

This came as the organiser of DOUBLE DUCKS said on the opening day of the exhibition (10 June) that an inspection found one of the ducks was overstretched due to the hot weather and rising air pressure. “As it would take time for the repair vessel to arrive, it was decided that the air needed to be immediately released by loosening the seams to avoid any potential risk,” the organiser said. 

The organiser also hosted a “610 Single Duck Photography Contest” despite the incident, encouraging citizens to bring any Double Ducks official souvenirs or the duck balloon to accompany the remaining duck by taking a photo with it. “It's really too hot to handle today, but can you give me one suggestion on how to deal with the boredom of being alone?”

The witty post has drawn positive sentiments with many netizens praising the humour and positivity delivered by the organiser despite the challenge faced by the rubber duck, while some wished the deflated duck to “get well soon”. Media intelligence firm CARMA saw over 3.5k mentions over the weekend, with 50.8% positive and only 2.8% negative sentiments.

"Overall, it appears that the deflation of the Double Ducks installation generated a lot of interest and discussion on social media, with a majority of netizens expressing positive sentiments and even finding humour in the situation, thanks in part to the organisers' response," said Charles Cheung, HK GM of CARMA. 

Industry players MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to also agreed that this move is commendable. Mary Devereux, senior advisor, SEC Newgate Greater China, said the tone taken by the organiser was just right as they gave a very reasonable explanation and took quick action to ensure people’s safety. 

“It was certainly better to deflate the duck, than risk it exploding due to the extreme heat. The rubber ducks have been deflated in other locations during their world tour, so it is not an unusual occurrence...They also managed to inject some humour into the situation with the IG post,” she added.

Agreeing with her was Desmond Ku, founder and director of The Bridge Agency, who said the sense of humour added to the Instagram post was a good move to dilute the disappointment and negative sentiments towards the deflated rubber duck.

I hope there will be plan B or backup plan to bring back two giant inflatable ducks to Victoria Harbour, of course a thorough investigation should be conducted regarding the incident.

Will this affect the brand image of the exhibitor and sponsors? 

Deflating one of the ducks on the opening day of the exhibition might disappoint some people given the negative publicity the last time the duck was in town and deflated. However, most industry players MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to believed that the way the organiser handled the incident has turned things around.

It is understandable that people were upset, but what’s good is that it appears that the organisers were prepared for potential issues, which explains their quick turnaround in response to the deflated hopes of the many who had hoped to catch both ducks, said Jose Raymond, director of strategic advisory, PRecious Communications.

The deflated duck did provide the organisers with an additional burst of earned media publicity, and there is now greater and a lot more public and regional awareness about the installations.

In fact, the reason behind the deflation of the duck seems to have been clearly communicated to the public, said Charu Srivastava, chief strategy officer at TriOn & Co, a strategic communications consultancy.

“The deflating of the duck was deliberate and specifically for safety risks in view of the intensely hot weather...The other duck has also remained on display without incident. The exhibitor was also quick to host a photography competition with the remaining duck to keep the public engaged and ensure excitement,” she added.

True enough, this is a matter of physics instead of a “PR issue”. SEC Newgate’s Devereux said the organisers cannot change the laws of physics and they did follow the correct procedure, which is to put people’s safety first. “I do not believe this will ‘deflate’ Hong Kong’s attitude towards the ducks,” she added.

Apart from communicating effectively with the public regarding the situation, having contingency plans in place to mitigate and manage crisis is also important. David Ko, managing director, RFI Asia said returning with two ducks is great, but not having a contingency in place for a repeat is just not sound crisis management.

Calling the deflation intentional for maintenance purposes does not help, as the visuals trump all. Perhaps having a backup that can be inflated quickly, or some kind of visual cover that hides the deflated duck would have been a start.

Photo credit: Facebook page @黃色巨鴨 Rubber Duck

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