Tag: Hong Kong

Hong Kong – Singapore-based shopping and rewards platform, ShopBack, has announced its upcoming market entry into Hong Kong. On its soft launch, which is set to take place on 8 August 2022, shoppers can expect heightened access to discount codes and coupons to earn cashback on online purchases.

With the market primed for more rewarding shopping experiences, ShopBack has already onboarded over 250 merchants in the country. These merchants range from local to global players, including Watsons, Disney+, Apple, KFC, Booking.com, Farfetch, Taobao, and Sasa, as well as ParkNShop, and iHerb, amongst others.

According to ShopBack, its entry into the market comes at an opportune time, where e-commerce in Hong Kong is poised to rise at a rapid rate of over 11%, potentially reaching revenues of HK$226 billion by 2024. In efforts to turbocharge this sector and boost its overall retail industry, Hong Kong is implementing the 2022 Compensation Voucher Scheme, where shoppers can experience greater financial access to their shopping experience.

Josephine Chow, head of expansion and co-founder at ShopBack, shared that entering Hong Kong is an exciting prospect for them at ShopBack, as the market’s massive potential for e-commerce and the government’s focus on growing the sector illustrates a clear market demand for financial flexibility and convenience in shopping activities.

“With ShopBack’s vast array of Cashback rewards and financial services, we are excited to see even more shoppers enjoy a seamless shopping experience following our official hard launch in Hong Kong later this year,” said Chow.

Just recently, ShopBack has also launched its first global brand refresh across all its 10 markets in APAC. Underscored by its new tagline – ‘For the Wins’, the brand refresh seeks to translate the small wins on ShopBack’s platform into an elevated shopping experience for its users.

Henry Chan, CEO and co-founder at ShopBack, noted that the platform believes in the power of small wins, applied consistently and continuously, and they work relentlessly to deliver smarter ways to shop and pay, and they hope that the rebrand brings out this message more strongly to their shoppers.

“As we continue to grow our network of partners and brands in Hong Kong, we will continue to engage shoppers across multiple touchpoints, and help partners gain visibility and sales while supporting them in achieving their own victories through small wins,” said Chan.

Hong Kong – Wunderman Thompson in Hong Kong has announced new appointments in its creative and strategic leadership teams namely Wilson Ang as executive creative director and Anant Deboor as head of strategy.

Ang was previously the group creative director at JWT while Deboor had spent more than a decade within the agency.

Ang joins the agency as one of the first creative leaders applying creativity and innovation into digital transformation for clients. In the past 20 years, Ang has worked on Hong Kong and regional accounts as varied as AIA, Disneyland, HSBC, IKEA, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble and Samsung with over 10 of these years in digital and traditional leadership roles. 

Speaking on his appointment, Ang said, “2022 is destined to be a year of transformation. There are a few things at the core of this celebrated agency, and network at large, that strongly resonate with me. Whether it is an unabashed love for ideas or the wonderful management team one gets to learn from. WT is bubbling with opportunity, and I’m looking forward to working with WT’s creative force to explode its massive potential.”

Meanwhile, Deboor brings a wealth of varied experience, previously working client-side as a global head of strategic marketing, independent board-level marketing strategy consultant and advertising/branding agency-side business leader and planner across Asia-Pacific.

On his appointment, Deboor commented, “As someone who cut his teeth in the ‘thinking, planning’ Thompson world, it gives me immense pleasure to return to the family. New name, newer more advanced capabilities but the same awesome people, and still the same culture and feeling. Wunderman Thompson is home. And really looking forward to doing my bit to help WT Hong Kong return to being the biggest, baddest, most lusted after agency office in all of Asia-Pacific.”

Speaking on the appointments, Maggie Wong, chief executive officer at Wunderman Thompson Hong Kong, said, “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Anant and Wilson back to bolster our strategy and creative teams. Wilson brings with him the passion and expertise in fusing creativity and technology to deliver innovative and meaningful solutions. Anant is an accomplished strategist with decades of experience. I’m confident that they’ll inspire fresh perspectives and collectively take Wunderman Thompson HK to new heights.”

Meanwhile, Sheung Yan Lo, regional chief creative officer at Wunderman Thompson, commented on Wilson Ang’s arrival, “Wilson used to work with us in JWT and it’s great to welcome him back to our new family, Wunderman Thompson. He is one of the very rare creative talents in Asia who embraces data, technology and creativity in work to solve clients’ market challenges.”

Hong Kong – Edelman has strengthened its leadership team in Hong Kong and Taiwan, having elevated leaders across its corporate, brand and technology offerings and expanded its creative team. The appointments come shortly after Delicia Tan’s arrival as CEO of Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area.

From her previous director role in the agency, Sofia Yip is appointed as head of brand across Hong Kong and Taiwan. Edelman said that with brands operating at the intersection of “culture, purpose, and society” to succeed, Sofia’s fluency in brand management, strong track record of leading integrated global and regional accounts and deep local cultural understanding will help its clients’ brands reset and reimagine amidst today’s rapid changes. 

Meanwhile, Oliver Davis has come onboard from Ogilvy as the firm’s new creative director across Hong Kong and Taiwan. Davis brings more than 9 years of experience in creative, having played a critical role in award-winning brand campaigns, activations, product launches and customer communications for brands including Pizza Hut, Huawei, and Coca-Cola. Davis will report to Executive Creative Director, John Koay, who joined the firm earlier this year. 

Alongside the new heads for creative and brand, Edelman has also elevated leaders to lead the team anew in the corporate and technology departments. 

Tasked with diversifying Edelman’s corporate communications offering, Angela Hui has been elevated to head of corporate for Hong Kong and Taiwan. Meanwhile, Simon Chan will serve as head of technology for the Greater Bay Area. Chan joined the team from Edelman London in November 2018. In his new role, he will partner with Edelman’s APAC Tech Sector Lead, John Kerr, overseeing the development of a regional Centre of Excellence based out of Hong Kong, providing regional clients with solutions in the areas of Web 3.0 and the Metaverse.

Delicia Tan, CEO of Edelman Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, commented, “Clients today demand borderless digital-first integrated communications that drives impact. Working together as onE Edelman team across Hong Kong, Taipei and the Great Bay Area will enable us to create compelling new touchpoints for their stakeholders, while building engaged communities through digital storytelling and immersive experiences. This will enable them to stand out, build engagement and ultimately, drive real action.”

Hong Kong – Ogilvy has announced new senior hires in its Hong Kong and Indonesia offices, namely John Davenport as chief creative officer for Hong Kong and Woon Hoh as chief creative officer for Indonesia.

Both will be responsible for driving Ogilvy’s creative agenda, delivering innovative solutions at the intersection of Ogilvy’s core capabilities, as well as developing new talent.

Hoh has worked at top network agencies all over Asia – including Darcy, BBDO, McCann, JWT and HAKUHODO. Prior to taking up the role as chief creative officer of HAKUHODO ASEAN, as well as executive creative director of HAKUHODO Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Davenport joins from Havas South Africa, where he was responsible for all creative output at the agency, with a track record of facilitating meaningful connections between brands and people through creative, media and technology.

Katryna Mojica, CEO of Ogilvy Hong Kong, said, “John’s strong body of work speaks for itself, but he’s also been great at shaping people and teams, and is someone that you genuinely want to work with. It is great to have him join us in Hong Kong and am looking forward to partnering with him.”

Meanwhile, Reed Collins, chief creative officer for Ogilvy in APAC, commented, “As we emerge from the worst of the pandemic, we are seeing renewed energy from our clients across the region looking to accelerate their marketing ambitions. We are responding in kind with significant investments in our senior creative leadership whilst focusing on our commitment to borderless creativity and agile growth mindset.”

He added, “John and Woon are both highly talented and well-respected creative leaders known for their ability to come up with big ideas that drive business-changing impact for clients. I have admired Woon’s work for many years. His experience and intimate knowledge of Indonesia in particular adds to our growing arsenal of creative firepower in the region. John has shone at three of South Africa’s most renowned creative agencies including one under his own namesake. We are so fortunate to have this positive ball of energy now in Hong Kong.”

Hong Kong – Consumer bank DBS in Hong Kong has launched a new regional brand campaign called ‘Be a Different Kind of Bank’, which makes clear that the bank is more like a startup, as well as more techie and eco-warrior, and less like a traditional bank. 

The campaign signals DBS’ belief that a different kind of bank is needed in a post-pandemic world. It also highlights the bank’s commitment to intensifying efforts going forward to become even more like a forward-looking tech company offering financial services and less like a conventional bank. Moreover, it will continue to up the ante on addressing sustainability issues and devoting itself to being a purpose-driven bank.

Moreover, the campaign encapsulates several aspects of how DBS embodies being a different kind of bank, which include inculcating a startup culture, where a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship will continue to flourish, and committing to continuous innovation, where the bank seeks to ensure that banking is simple, fast and effortless, increasingly personalised, and seamlessly woven into everyday life.

Another aspect is advancing the sustainability agenda, where the bank will be supporting social enterprises and prioritising action on climate change, powering philanthropic and relief efforts.

Karen Ngui, DBS’ group head of strategic marketing and communications and DBS Foundation’s board member, shared that with COVID-19 upending economies and societies, now more than ever, they must be able to anticipate and lead change so their customers and the community at large can ‘Live more, Live better, and Bank less’. 

“By behaving more like a startup, more like a techie, more like an eco-warrior, and less like a ‘traditional’ bank, we believe we can be a bank for the times – a different kind of bank for a post-Covid world,” said Ngui. 

Aside from Hong Kong, the regional brand campaign will also be rolled out in Singapore, Mainland China, India, Indonesia, and Taiwan over the next two months.

Hong Kong SAR – ESG and sustainability issues alike have been moving up the corporate agenda in recent years. According to Google Search Trend, the keyword ‘ESG’ search popularity in Hong Kong has been soaring and surpassed ‘Sustainability’ in May this year; however, public curiosity about the topic doesn’t seem to convert into actual practice, according to the territory-wide SME sustainability survey conducted by the Centre for Civil Society and Governance (CCSG) at The University of Hong Kong.

According to the findings, slightly over one-third (36.7%) of SMEs rated themselves as effective at advancing sustainability goals compared to only 4.4% of SMEs rated ineffective. Among the 24 practices across five dimensions, namely governance, workplace culture, customer-supplier relationships, resource management and innovation, the study reveals that the average number of sustainability practices adopted was 7.7 across all industries.

SMEs were quick to be honest that they are encountering several dilemmas in achieving sustainable practices. Amongst such challenges, economic and financial instability comes out on top (65.4%), followed by global health crisis (53.8%), and consumer expectations (22.9%), which suggest that SMEs are struggling to stay resilient and recover from the unstable economic environment. 

In contrast, long-term social-ecological risks such as climate change, human rights, and inequality only received 6.3%, 4.8%, and 3% of respondents identified them as a challenge. This might suggest that SMEs are less concerned about the potential risks induced by climate change, or not aware enough of social challenges such as inequalities in the workplace that could cause serious implications for their businesses in the long run.

Furthermore, the study found that the most needed support for integrating sustainability into the SMEs’ business operations, strategies and business models are namely financial support (47.7%), and marketing support (41.2%), whilst such support is ideally provided by the government (69%), followed by business associations, and banks and financial institutions, both receiving 30.8% of the response. This implies that the most effective way to encourage SMEs to integrate sustainability is to offer financial incentives.

Professor Wai-Fung Lam, director of CCSG, and professor of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong, remarked, “The business sustainability agenda has been steadily gaining momentum. However, the spotlight remains on the role of multinational corporations and listed companies. As the engine of economic progress, SMEs have made diverse contributions to social and environmental well-being. Yet, their unique challenges and constraints have not been widely studied. This points to the need to understand the role and positioning of SMEs in creating the impulse to achieve widespread positive, social, environmental and economic change for a more sustainable future.” 

The Survey was based on the views of 1,400 SMEs in Hong Kong within the period of November 2021 to April 2022. 

Hong Kong – Mediabrands, the media and marketing solutions division of Interpublic Group, has unveiled three executive leadership promotions, which are in line with the agency’s growth plans for the Greater China network.

The appointees include Joanne Tong, the new managing director for Hong Kong, Penny Chow, the new managing director for Taiwan, and Man Leung, the new head of Reprise and Initiative for Hong Kong.

Promoted from her prior position as head of strategy at Mediabrands Hong Kong and Taiwan, Tong will be charged with the growth leadership of the Mediabrands Hong Kong agency network, drawing upon her 20 years of specialised marketing and advertising industry experience across renowned 4A’s agencies and corporate behemoths.

Meanwhile, adding to her previous remit leading Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS) for Hong Kong and Taiwan, Chow will be extending her role to include managing director of the Mediabrands agency network in Taiwan. His 20-year career in media and advertising has encompassed celebrated collaborations with numerous brand giants including Disney and Coca-Cola.

And lastly, from his prior role as head of business development for Hong Kong and Taiwan, Leung has been promoted to a broader leadership role as head of Reprise and Initiative at Hong Kong, where he will utilise his over 19 years of industry experience specialising in building the digital infrastructure for data-driven marketing solutions, to drive the transformational, digital, and performance media growth across the Reprise and Initiative agencies in the Hong Kong market.

Melinda Po, CEO of Mediabrands for Greater China, shared that this newly embedded local market leadership is a testament to the growth and diversification of their agency network offering across the greater China region. 

“It has been extremely gratifying to find exactly the right leadership talent we needed to drive this growth from within our own agency network, not only providing the development opportunity for our own people to grow and assume broader leadership responsibilities but also utilising their deep expertise and understanding of our product offering, our culture, in addition to the local market growth opportunities,” added Po.

Hong Kong – Delivery company Deliveroo has launched its rapid grocery delivery service ‘Deliveroo Hop’ in Hong Kong. The service had already been launched in the UK, Italy, France and the UAE, and to mark the operations in Hong Kong, the company has partnered with food retailer Parknshop. 

The rapid grocery delivery service, which it also dubs its new ‘life department store express service’, will be available through the Home Delivery app and will be limited to delivery services only. The new service is said to complete delivery within 10 minutes at the fastest.

The first Hop store will be located in Central, with express delivery services covering Sai Ying Pun, Sheung Wan, Central, Mid-Levels and Admiralty. The new service will be able to deliver general merchandise and household items sold by brands such as Parknshop, FUSION, INTERNATIONAL and TASTE. 

Xu Zhixian, GM of Deliveroo Hong Kong, said that as online shopping has become an integral part of our daily lives, on-demand general merchandise delivery service has also become one of the business development priorities of the company. 

“We believe this new service will bring a number of new advantages to [Deliveroo’s] lifestyle department store partners, helping them reach more consumers, and provide customers with more choices to achieve business growth. We look forward to working with Parknshop to expand the new service to different regions in Hong Kong, and will continue to invest in the grocery delivery service,” said Xu Zhixian. 

Meanwhile, Ren Liangan, MD of Parknshop Hong Kong, commented, “The courier industry of daily life department stores is developing rapidly, and it has become a key factor for consumers to choose life department stores. This cooperation will not only expand our customer base, but also help us keep up with the trend of ‘fast commerce’.”

To celebrate the official launch of Deliveroo Hop, users can enjoy a discount of HK$100 for the first purchase of HK$200, and a discount of HK$30 for each purchase of HK$150 for the next three purchases.

Hong Kong – AIA Hong Kong has launched its brand new advertising series ‘Going Beyond With You’ starring its new ambassador for Hong Kong and Macau, the world swimming champion Siobhan Haughey.

Based on Siobhan’s personal stories, the new commercial, which includes four commercials with different themes, not only showcases her extraordinary talents but also celebrates her fighting spirit in the face of challenges. The successful pursuit of her dreams would inspire people to be brave and stay strong to rise to the challenge. Moreover, the new advertising series also highlights her tenacity and resilience that resonate with the company’s ‘Beyond Insurance’ concept.

Bonnie Tse, chief customer, strategy, and transformation officer of AIA Hong Kong and Macau, said Siobhan is widely recognised as a world-class athlete who keeps pushing her own limits and has broken multiple records in the international sporting arena; her feats are more than impressive. 

“We are exhilarated to invite her to be ‘AIA Hong Kong & Macau Ambassador’ and star in our newest advertising campaign. Not only does she embody our theme of ‘Going Beyond’, but her personal story also exudes positivity and inspires people to face challenges head-on,” added Tse.

The new campaign has been rolled out on AIA and other major social media, as well as digital media platforms, last 14 July.

In addition, Siobhan has also participated in a short video to promote the AIA Healthiest Schools programme as an outstanding athlete, encouraging students to develop healthy and good living habits at an early age. Earlier this year, AIA set an ambition to engage a billion people to live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives by 2030. The AIA Healthiest Schools programme, to be launched in Hong Kong, Australia, Thailand, and Vietnam during the 2022/2023 academic year, will contribute to this goal by putting it into action. 

In Hong Kong, the AIA Healthiest Schools programme will be available in all primary schools and will provide teachers with free, curriculum-linked online resources developed by professional educators. These resources cover four areas, namely healthy eating, active lifestyles, mental well-being, as well as health and sustainability, and are designed to encourage students to actively pursue physical and mental wellness.

Tse noted, “We would like to thank Siobhan for her staunch support of the programme. We are also very grateful for the opportunity to help schools foster students’ health and well-being encompassing body and mind on top of their intellectual development. The programme would nurture healthier human capital of the next generation, bringing lasting positive change to society.”

The AIA Healthiest Schools programme will also include a competition to serve as a platform for participating schools to build communities that share best practices in promoting health and wellness and showcase their success in driving better health outcomes. Prizes worth US$50,000 in total will be given to winning schools to help them accelerate their health initiatives.

Hong Kong – Insurance company Sun Life in Hong Kong has launched its first non-fungible tokens (NFTs) project, marking its 130th anniversary. This move follows the company’s new branding campaign ‘Change Into a Happier You’.

Until 30 September 2022, the top 130 Clients who pay the highest amount of Annualised First Year Premium1 and the top 130 advisors with the best performance will each receive one unique Sun Life Hong Kong limited edition NFT2 for free. 

Moreover, clients who become NFT holders can enjoy a premium rebate1 of up to HK$1,3003 in the next purchase. Sun Life Hong Kong will also be giving away the NFTs to 130 selected staff.

Clement Lam, CEO of Sun Life Hong Kong, shared that digital innovation creates new possibilities and changes people’s lives in often unexpected ways, and they always strive to stay ahead by enhancing the experience journey of their clients and advisors using digital technology. 

“2022 marks the 130th anniversary of Sun Life Hong Kong. We are thrilled to celebrate our special moment and share our joy with our stakeholders through the creation of this NFT collection,” said Lam.

Meanwhile, Chris Fung, chief client and marketing officer at Sun Life Hong Kong, said they will launch an exclusive NFT collection themed around ‘130th anniversary’ and ‘Hong Kong’ that will be co-created with Yobe, a local illustrator. 

“The design of the digital artworks will feature various aspects of living showcasing local culture and traditions. This series of digital collectibles marks our first step in entering the metaverse. In addition, we plan to include a number of different elements in the NFTs so as to create more exciting experience for our clients. We will also continue to integrate more online and offline interactions striving to take our innovation advancement to the next level,” added Fung.