McDonald’s HK and The Bridge Agency win big at PR Awards HK 2026

McDonald’s Hong Kong and The Bridge Agency have won big at the PR Awards Hong Kong 2026, winning Best of Show – Brand and Best of Show – Agency, respectively.

Designed to spotlight exceptional work in the PR and communications sector across North Asia, the awards drew a crowd of industry experts to Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong, on 17 September, all vying for recognition of their outstanding efforts. An independent panel of 27 senior and brand-side marketers carefully evaluated every entry.

See the full list of winners here. 

See the full jury here. 

Standing out from the crowd and impressing the jury was McDonald's Hong Kong, which took home 14 trophies, including five golds, five silvers, and three bronzes, as well as the PR Team of the Year (Brand) award. Its impactful campaigns included "McDonald's Hong Kong 'Back to the Beginning in 1975'", "McDonald's 50th Anniversary i'm lovin' it Concert", "Ronald McDonald House Charities Hong Kong 30th Anniversary", and "Golden Tracks of Joy – McDonald's 50 Years of Love".

The "McDonald's Hong Kong 'Back to the Beginning in 1975'" campaign stood out among McDonald's Hong Kong's initiatives, impressing the judges the most. Running from 1 September to 31 October 2025, it aimed to strengthen McDonald's brand image as a cultural icon in Hong Kong and deepen brand love and build long-term brand equity through emotional storytelling.

The campaign debuted with a PR announcement unveiling the microfilm premiere across TV and YouTube Live, along with its advocate lineup led by local actor Nicholas Tse. It was deliberately positioned as a cultural microfilm rather than branded advertising, placing it within the arts and entertainment space.

The microfilm chronicles McDonald's Hong Kong's entry into the market five decades ago, tracing the genesis of its brand mission: "People-obsessed, Customers-first, Innovative for Growth." It also draws from the true story of the city's first restaurant manager, "James Chu," recreating the opening day of Hong Kong's first McDonald's on Paterson Street, Causeway Bay, in 1975.

Moving the campaign into the physical world, McDonald's Hong Kong launched an immersive exhibition at Freespace, West Kowloon Cultural District. It recreated the 1975 McDonald’s restaurant and Paterson Street in near 1:1 detail, showcasing production memorabilia and transforming the story into a walkable, highly shareable experience that drove visitation and sustained public conversation. 

To expand reach beyond owned channels and strengthen cultural credibility, the campaign combined third-party storytelling, earned media, and social-first distribution into an integrated amplification strategy.

On the other hand, The Bridge Agency won the esteemed Best of Show – Agency award. The agency took home 16 trophies, including four golds, six silvers, and four bronzes, along with PR Team of the Year (Agency), while founder and director Desmond Ku was named PR Leader of the Year (Agency), with a number of thought-provoking campaigns.

These include "Hong Kong Market 12th Anniversary Campaign 2026" and "Uni-China Group 25th Anniversary" for Uni-China Group; "193 Waiting Around Integrated Comeback & Launch Campaign" for Makerville; "UA Finance Hong Kong International Arm-wrestling Championship 2025" for UA Finance; "Ah Wood Curry" and "Fairwood Orange" for Fairwood Holdings; and "Chill Guy . Chill Walk Pop-up Store" and "BABY MIRROR GO ROUND" for Festival Walk, done in collaboration with AMAZ and Madlab respectively.

The “193 Waiting Around Integrated Comeback & Launch Campaign”, created for MakerVille, impressed the judges the most among the campaigns developed by The Bridge Agency.

Running from 25 April to 15 June 2026, the campaign aimed to reintroduce Cantopop idol 193 to the entertainment industry with maximum public awareness following a four-month absence, while generating immediate chart traction and high-engagement streaming for his new single, "呆等(Waiting Around)."

Amid rumours of being frozen out by management, 193 risked losing fan connection. As a polarising figure, a standard comeback would invite harsh scrutiny. He needed to acknowledge the past, reclaim his narrative, and evolve from provocative idol to mature artist - without losing his raw authenticity.

Rather than evading the rumours, the campaign embraced them—turning stagnation into a high-concept performance: the "193《呆等》Waiting Room." A giant transparent glass house in a busy urban hub physically embodied his "waiting," letting the public witness his self-enrichment.

An unannounced social media post teased a mysterious rendezvous at Tsim Sha Tsui. Deliberate silence from the management agency fueled intense netizen speculation, immediately hijacking the entertainment news cycle.

As part of the campaign, 193 entered a transparent glass house at The ONE, Tsim Sha Tsui, for a 74-hour self-confinement. He spent his time reading, building models, and resting. The entire experience was broadcast via continuous Instagram Live streams, prompting fans to camp out both physically and digitally to help the content go viral. To maintain daily resonance, custom "waiting quotes" on the glass structure were pushed synchronously via THE GULU app. 

High-profile celebrity peers, KOLs, 193’s family, and high-net-worth business icons such as Kimbee visited the glass house. This triggered a massive organic ripple effect across diverse social algorithms, sustaining peak media attention. On 20 May, a date symbolising "I love you," 193 emerged from the glass house to officially announce his return and release his single "呆等". To honour fan devotion, the music video deliberately featured real fan-support items.

This year's submissions highlighted remarkable creativity and innovative PR and communications professionals who pushed the limits. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE would like to thank the esteemed panel of judges for their time and effort in evaluating over 460 entries across 43 categories. A total of 130 trophies were awarded to the top brands and agencies in the region.

Elevate your brand with cutting-edge AI, emerging tech, and data-driven experiences. Join 200+ marketing leaders at Digital Marketing Asia HK 2026 on 27–28 October to uncover game-changing trends, proven playbooks, and the bold strategies shaping the future of marketing.

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