HSBC turns HK into a city of superfans in high-energy Sevens push

Ahead of Hong Kong’s famed Rugby Sevens tournament, HSBC – co-title sponsor of the event – and global marketing agency 160over90 have launched a fully integrated campaign evolving their 2025 platform, “Let’s svns this city,” featuring rugby legend Bryan Habana.

With both Hong Kong and HSBC synonymous with Rugby Sevens, the campaign builds on this shared heritage, doubling down on what makes the partnership a distinctive asset in HSBC’s portfolio. It leans into the tournament’s high-energy, carnival-like atmosphere – where elite sport meets fancy dress – to capture Hong Kong’s signature spirit and vibrancy.

The campaign stars past and present Hong Kong China rugby players, including Max Woodward, Salom Yiu, James Christie and Christy Cheng, alongside Habana, transforming the city into a metropolis of superfans in the lead-up to the tournament.

In conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a spokesperson from HSBC said Woodward, Yiu, Christie and Cheng are previous (and current) captains of the Hong Kong China rugby teams. "In the event’s 50th year we looked to bring together current players and legends from our ‘home town heroes’ alongside global legend and Rugby World Cup winner Habana."

This talent was chosen for this campaign as they embody the spirit of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong SVNS tournament as well as the HSBC brand. 

Running from 6 to 19 April, the work centres on a hero film and teasers airing on broadcast, in-stadium, across social channels and on digital out-of-home. In collaboration with Asia-based music production company Syn (founded by Nick Wood and Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran), a Cantonese lyricist and an ’80s Cantopop singer, the soundtrack delivers a feel-good, nostalgic twist on Starship’s “We built this city”.

The Cantonese cover is crafted to channel the authentic sound of ’80s Cantopop, down to the musical nuances familiar to generations of Hong Kongers – including playful, unexpected switches into English.

Beyond the film, HSBC is “SVNS-ing” the city: dressing the iconic Aqualuna junk in Victoria Harbour (sailing from 15 to 19 April), activating hospitality suites and the HSBC Premier Elite Hot Seat at the stadium, and providing bilingual English and Cantonese karaoke lyrics so fans can sing along whenever the ad plays.

The spokesperson added that the campaign was designed as a campaign platform for the SVNS Series, worldwide. "Taking on the vibe of each individual tournament to reflect the city’s unique take on the event. For Hong Kong it’s all about the festival atmosphere. So using a crowd-favourite in 'We built this city' as well as classic fan costumes, we focused on an anthem approach that would excite the crowd between games, with karaoke-style lyrics in both English and Cantonese to sing along."

"Beyond this, we found other ways to dress up the city in; Aqualuna—costumed in full viking wear, the HSBC Premier Elite Hot Seat featuring the costumes from the ad, and the HSBC hospitality suites featuring campaign imagery, and special dress up elements like Hawaiian shirts for guests as well as costumed drink koozies."

Andrea de Vincentiis, global head of brand partnerships and regional head of brand, HSBC, says: “For over 160 years we’ve been proud to call Hong Kong home. Supporting the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong SVNS is a chance to show our commitment to the city and community that makes the tournament so great. This campaign celebrates all the people of Hong Kong, encouraging everyone to come together like they always do, as the tournament celebrates its 50th anniversary.”

Katie Moore and Nicholas Sellars, creative directors, APAC for 160over90, say: “It's not every day you get to partner with a brand like HSBC to kick off Hong Kong's biggest sporting event (and party). So we grabbed the opportunity by the fake viking horns, going big and dressing up the iconic Hong Kong skyline and locally famous Aqualuna. After finding the perfect stadium anthem, we were lucky enough to work with sound studio Syn to reimagine the track in authentic Cantopop detail - Simmons toms, white noise, whip cracks and all.”

Gavin Hadley, SVP Asia Pacific for 160over90 commented: “The Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong 7s is an important part of the Hong Kong cultural calendar. As the city continues to attract a growing number of mega events, the campaign aims to reflect this momentum and the unique power of live events to bring people together. We are incredibly proud to work with HSBC in celebrating the tournament and the city itself.”

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