Top 10 news stories that ignited conversations among HK readers in 2023

Throughout the year, the marketing and advertising industry in Hong Kong experienced a vibrant tapestry of news stories. Our readers were captivated by a diverse range of stories on innovative campaigns and invaluable insights shared by industry experts. 

Let's take a moment to reflect on the past year and explore the top 10 news stories that sparked conversations among our readers in Hong Kong.

1. Coca-Cola's new campaign banks on Keung To to spread 'Irreplaceable Me' attitude

Capitalising on the wave of popularity surrounding local boy band MIRROR, Coca-Cola brought to life the refreshing nature of Coca-Cola No Sugar through MIRROR's member Keung To in a campaign back in March. 

Done in collaboration with creative agency Ogilvy Hong Kong, media agency EssenceMediacom, marketing implementation agency Hogarth and shopper team agency VMLY&R, the campaign focused on the value of believing in one's passion, which made oneself "irreplaceable" and forging ahead with a refreshed mindset. It featured Keung, the local icon to embody the spirit of the brand based on his passion for music and creativity.

As part of the campaign, To's expression of himself in a music video came to TV screens, inspiring everyone to follow their passion and explaining the value of being irreplaceable. 

2. 'Hello Hong Kong' a missed opportunity, say HK adland creatives

Another story that got readers hooked was the government's launch of the HK$1bn global promotional campaign “Hello Hong Kong” in February this year. 

As part of the campaign, 500,000 air tickets were distributed to overseas visitors, while an additional 80,000 tickets were allocated to residents of Hong Kong.

Moreover, the campaign invited local celebrities to take part including Aaron Kwok, Sammi Cheng, and Kelly Chen, as well as business leaders and foreign artists such as Korean singer Rain and Hong Kong Super Fans, showcasing the city’s array of new experiences and saying hello to tourists and calling on them to come visit.  

Despite going all out to lure tourists to the city, many industry players questioned whether the campaign could effectively highlight the city's uniqueness, by incorporating special characteristics and vibe of the city as it enters the post-pandemic era. 

3. McDonald's spices up new year with global campaign that 'raises your arches'

Earlier this year, McDonald’s spiced things up with its first global branding campaign of the year in partnership with DDB Group Hong Kong.

Also known as "Raise Your Arches”, the campaign began with the hero video adapted from the global campaign, featuring office workers using their eyebrow “arches” to invite others to join them for a bite at McDonald’s.

With the unique line-up of singers, celebrities, and influencers and the primary target audience in mind, this was a social-first as well as an OMO (online-merge-offline) campaign to tap into the growing segment of Gen Z customers.

4. HKTVmall showcases diversity of 50 mothers in latest publicity stunt

HKTVmall’s recent campaign that features 50 real-user mothers has drawn mixed reactions from Hong Kong netizens.

Also known as “Mom-certified!”, the campaign has taken a different approach by teaming up with real mothers to make HKTVmall their go-to shopping destination. It kicked off with an all-encompassing promotional push across all MTR stations in Hong Kong. Starting from November, HKTVmall has dominated 58 MTR stations, with over 3,120 MTR advertising lightboxes and 23 wrapped trains. 

On the marketing front, industry players MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to believed that the campaign by HKTVmall could potentially boost the brand's trustworthiness and appeal to a broad consumer base.

5. Taylor Swift skips HK on her upcoming Asia tour

American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift skipped Hong Kong, a city that used to welcome mega acts performed by renowned international artists before the pandemic, on her “The Eras Tour”.

However, she previously played a whopping six shows at Singapore's National Stadium and four nights at Tokyo Dome.

Apart from Swift, British bands Coldplay and The 1975 also excluded Hong Kong from their upcoming tour schedules, which included places such as Taiwan, Singapore and Indonesia. Industry players MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to attributed this to several potential factors, including the size of the concert venue.

6. 'DOUBLE DUCKS' exhibition

Another story that held readers' attention was the two-week-long “DOUBLE DUCKS” exhibition at the Victoria Harbour by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman.

The celebrations coincided with the 10th anniversary of its first visit to Hong Kong. Inspired by symmetrical Chinese characters "囍” (happiness) and "朋" (friends), this old friend brought a companion for the first time to the calm blue waters of Hong Kong. It symbolised prosperity in partnership and friendship, as well as doubling the happiness of coming together as one.

Moreover, brand sponsors and supporting organisation of the recent exhibition, including ZA Bank, Ngong Ping 360, Venture Smart Financial Holdings (VSFG), and HKTB expected to see satisfactory return on investment (ROI) from sponsoring and supporting the project.

7. Lazy Marketing apologises for false advertising

One of the stories that raised eyebrows within the local adland was Hong Kong-based marketing agency Lazy Marketing's apology over false advertising, after it had uploaded local creative agency Narrow Door’s campaign to its website without consent and claimed the production and filming of the video ad were done by Lazy Marketing.

According to an official statement released on Narrow Door’s Facebook page, Edmond Ling, founder of Lazy Marketing attributed the uploading of the Shiseido 150th anniversary campaign on its website to the miscommunications between its design and production teams.

8. Gay Games HK kick off amid controversies

Gay Games 11 Hong Kong 2023 dominated headlines few months ago as they kicked off amid security and rights concerns proposed by lawmakers and activists opposing LGBTQ+ movements. 

This came after the community group leader Thomas Leung told local media that the organising committee should not leverage the games as a platform to promote LGBTQ+ movements in Hong Kong. The group also questioned the source of the event’s funds and believed that it might endanger national security. 

In response, the Gay Games Hong Kong Organising Committee said in a written statement that GGHK was not a political organisation, the Gay Games had never been a platform for promoting any specific political agenda and the aim of the event was not to advocate for any specific political or legislative changes. 

9. HSBC HK unveils art exhibition on fraud prevention

HSBC's recent launch of a bank-led fraud (呃) fair has also caught HongKongers' attention. The art exhibition, based in Airside, Kai Tak, aims to promote public awareness of fraud prevention. 

In partnership with creative agency Hungry Digital and PR agency Hill & Knowlton, the fraud fair showcased over 20 physical and interactive artworks that highlighted common fraud tactics through the use of vernacular language and derivative art techniques.  

“Anything can be an art piece when it’s done to an extreme, including fraud. In this campaign, we played on words such as "fraud" (呃) and ‘Art’. Also, HongKongers have become more interested in viewing art in recent years. We found that purely informative, video or print ads may no longer catch audiences’ attention,” said Cheuk Shum, head of marketing, wealth & personal Banking, HSBC.

10. UA Finance empowers HKers to fight through the storm with giant 3D arm display

Finally, wrapping up the list is UA Finance’s outdoor 3D advertising exhibit, which featured a giant 3D arm that cruised around Victoria Harbour to celebrate its 30th anniversary. 

Also known as "The Giant 3D Arm Cruising the Harbour", the giant arm was done in collaboration with M&C Saatchi Spencer, media agency Mindshare, Easy Group, and a ship chartering company. It aligned with the brand concept of “UA Empowers You To Fight Another Day" and invited citizens to take pictures and cheer for Hong Kong as it cruised within Victoria Harbour, passing by tourist spots including Golden Bauhinia Square, Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront Podium Garden, and West Kowloon Cultural District.

The entire arm measured a remarkable 36 meters in length and 10 meters in height, constructed using specially made waterproof canvas materials.

Related articles:

Top 5 news stories that drew attention among our HK readers in 2022 
Coca-Cola's new campaign banks on Keung To to spread 'Irreplaceable Me' attitude
'Hello Hong Kong' a missed opportunity, say HK adland creatives