Tag: Hong Kong

Hong Kong – ELEVEN, a sports media group, has secured additional content rights for some of the most popular sporting events this year, and will be catered to their user base in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. The content will be composed of 2,000 hours worth of live sports content dedicated to the region’s growing sports fanbase.

ELEVEN has an extensive package of Asian Football Confederation rights and is currently home to live coverage of every AFC Asian Women’s Cup and AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar match in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam.

In addition, ELEVEN also has the rights to Spain’s Copa del Rey, the Malaysian SPL Sepak Takraw League (STL) and a roster of international cricket, badminton and Japanese table tennis.

Cricket, table tennis and badminton are being served up as well to fans in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam. Live coverage of this season’s Copa del Rey and STL are also available on ELEVEN across the region with the exception of Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

Lastly, a total of 19 European badminton events will be shown by ELEVEN during 2022. Live table tennis coverage from Japan will be delivered to audiences from February, and STL coverage is already underway.

Nick Wilkinson, managing director for APAC at The ELEVEN Group, said, “We are excited to be growing our operations across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong with a compelling mix of local and locally relevant content. Our ambition is to offer our audiences a dynamic new service to follow the sport they love. The partnerships that we have negotiated so far mean we are well on the way to delivering on this mission and we will be continuing to expand our portfolio in the coming months.”

ELEVEN is employing a streaming-first approach in all Southeast Asia markets and Hong Kong, with its platform ElevenSports.com at the heart of its offering. ELEVEN’s streaming service is due to be supplemented by partnerships with local linear operators to make content as accessible to fans as possible.

Hong Kong – To kickstart the new year, financial institution HSBC in Hong Kong has launched its annual ‘Go Goal Day’ campaign, aimed at empowering people in the country to pursue their dreams, and open up a world of opportunity as they go towards where they aspire to be.

Titled ‘1.23 Go Goal Day’, this year’s campaign was launched on 23 January, with the date and name of this day resembling the expression of ‘1, 2, 3, go!’, HSBC has made it a representation of courage for everyone who goes after their dreams. 

The campaign, which is developed in collaboration with creative and CRM agency Wunderman Thompson, includes a thematic video featuring the country’s superstar Keung To, as well as a series of social posts by influencers around the city who took the lead to share their goals.

The teaser is followed by offline stunts to engage the audience in real life, such as the iconic OOH wall in the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station in Hong Kong, a 1:1 Keung To digital greet with the audience, and an introduction of HSBC services. 

Moreover, the audience is encouraged to scan the QR code and learn more about the products and services that will potentially support them in achieving their goals. The bank has also leveraged on its LED wall to launch a brand new O2O customer journey. 

According to HSBC, during the entire Lunar New Year period, giant digital red packets will rain down the HSBC Main Building to bring luck and fortune to the city. For the very first time, the offline initiative is bringing the customers back to their social media platform, where they can participate in a game on Facebook to complete the journey.

“This full-funnel, holistic ‘1.23 Go Goal Day’ campaign will take everyone in Hong Kong closer to their hopes and dreams, whether it be financial, health goals, or just happiness in general,” said HSBC.

Hong Kong – ViLab Limited, a Hong Kong-based metaverse service provider, has formed an exclusive partnership with Actoplus Holding to develop virtual idols and other metaverse technology, with the goal of capturing opportunities from the transformation of digital brand marketing in Mainland China.

According to consultancy iiMedia research, the size of the virtual idol market in China has reached US$540m in 2020, a 70% jump from a year earlier and was expected to reach US$17b in 2021.

Since the founding of ViLab, the company and its partners have been developing and upgrading virtual human and background technologies such as face-shifting, lip synchronization, and voice cloning.

Through the new collaboration, ViLab and Actoplus will be working together on the creation and maintenance of virtual idols. These characters can be deployed for an array of commercial functions, such as brand endorsement, live-streaming broadcasts, and both online and offline marketing campaigns.

Ric Wu, ViLab’s chairman and founder, commented that they are delighted about this collaboration as virtual idols have been a dominant feature in their metaverse vision since the company’s founding. 

“Access to the world’s biggest consumer market where digital marketing is seen as one of the next frontiers will give us the perfect platform to test and launch many of our ideas and technology,” said Wu.

Meanwhile, Vincent Lau, Actoplus’ chairman, shared that the collaboration with ViLab will make use of Actoplus’s expertise in digital marketing and e-commerce to jointly develop business in Mainland China. 

“At the same time, Actoplus will connect ViLab with existing and potential partners in the metaverse space, to further explore the range of possibilities presented by the new digital era and reinvent business models for the future,” said Lau.

Hong Kong — Digital creative agency AnalogFolk has announced the appointment of Dixi Song, former senior strategist of Publicis Groupe, to be its new strategy director for Asia. Song will be responsible for bolstering the agency’s full-service offering for the market. 

At Publicis Groupe, Song was tasked with handling and leading the strategy for leading the company’s top-tier clients like Cathay Pacific and Under Armour. Song also holds extensive experience and expertise in the financial service business where she supported HSBC in its Asian wealth business.

Chris Ryan, managing director and partner at AnalogFolk Asia, commented, “360 customer experience planning is in increasing demand from our clients and Dixi brings that expertise to our team in Asia. She is fanatical about using data to help brands to become customer-first. She is an exciting new talent for us, not only adding another dimension to our team but also bringing a lot of energy to our culture.”

Meanwhile, Song shared her thoughts on her appointment, saying that as the world is looking forward to life beyond the pandemic, the company understands clients placing increasing emphasis on digital transformation and positive societal impact.

“AnalogFolk’s strong digital pedigree and its global ambition to be an agency of change was a key reason for my interest in working with them. I’m really excited to use my experience to build on our capability in Asia and to guide client strategy in this era of rapid change,” Song said.

This January, AnalogFolk also launched their new behavioural transformation consultancy ‘Mindworks Consulting’ to deliver augmented business outcomes to both marketing strategy and organisational design through applied behavioural economics.

Hong Kong – As the line between reality and the virtual world is disappearing in favor of the metaverse setup, Hong Kong-based bank Hang Seng Bank has introduced its new key opinion leader: meet Hazel, a virtual spokesperson for the bank’s digital banking brand.

True to Hazel’s mantra of ‘It’s our world now!’ to communicate a virtually-integrated lifestyle, Hang Seng Bank aims to showcase with their latest virtual persona on how technology and innovation have released many of life’s constraints, making it possible for people to do more and achieve more.

Hazel first debuted on Instagram during Christmas 2021, where she shared visions of a young and active lifestyle that slash marks fashion, sports and other creative arenas. She even released a collaboration with Hong Kong-Canadian singer-songwriter Jay Fung.

Her first appearance in Hang Seng Bank’s promotional video was released this month, where it focuses on discovering the new era of digital banking and feeling empowered to achieve #AllOfTheAbove—an ideal lifestyle with unlimited possibilities.

Lucia Ku, head of customer propositions and customer management at Hang Seng Bank, and the one who spearheaded this virtual persona launch, said, “We want Hazel to embody young ideals. When we set out to develop Hazel, we surveyed nearly 750 young people between the ages of 18 and 30 to deepen our understanding of their preferences and attitudes to life. We then injected the essence of our findings into the personality of the character created.

According to the campaign, Hazel is a 25-year-old teen with diversified interests and skills. She is at once an illustrator, a model and a dreamer. She seizes every opportunity to play to her strengths and try new things. She is also a fashion trendsetter who is passionate about music, art and sports, particularly yoga. Hazel’s life philosophy echoes that of many young people: she aspires to be independent, impatient to lead a life full of excitement, is able to explore at will, try new ideas and experiences, and always ready to take on new opportunities.

In addition, Hazel’s digital-savvy, slasher-focused approach to life reflects Hang Seng’s deep understanding of customers’ changing attitudes and needs. It is emphatically focused on innovation and advancement to provide seamless online/offline, omni-channel future-proof banking services that empower its customers to, like Hazel, choose #AllOfTheAbove.

Hong Kong – Independent programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) adtech Hivestack has been tapped by Hong Kong-based healthcare DOOH media network Alfaxmedia to offer brands, agencies and omnichannel demand side platform (DSP’s) the opportunity to purchase and activate Alfaxmedia’s DOOH inventory programmatically across Hong Kong. This will be done exclusively via the Hivestack supply side platform (SSP) platform.

Through the partnership, advertisers seeking to reach targeted audiences visiting or in the vicinity of healthcare facilities will be able to leverage Hivestack’s suite of planning, targeting and measurement capabilities to effectively deliver their campaigns and truly connect with their audiences.

Said partnership comes after Alfaxmedia’s plans to grow its network coverage by 20% in 2022, and make its healthcare media available exclusively via the Hivestack SSP.

For Lydia Yang, founder and managing director at Alfaxmedia, they believe that with Hivestack’s technology, its solution can offer significant value enhancements for both publishers and advertisers.

“Programmatic digital out of home (pDOOH) is undoubtedly the next big step in the evolution of the OOH media industry, as there is an increasing urgency to meet the demands of advertisers who seek data-driven ad solutions. We are very excited to be part of this game-changing development in the pDOOH industry by partnering with Hivestack, the global leader and pioneer in pDOOH,” Yang stated.

Meanwhile, Troy Yang, managing director for North Asia at Hivestack, commented, “We are thrilled to partner with Alfaxmedia who will exclusively use the Hivestack SSP to connect to our worldwide network of advertisers, especially within China, to drive new revenue from their DOOH inventory. Brands inside and outside of Hong Kong will now be able to use the Hivestack DSP to advertise their campaigns across Alfaxmedia’s premium healthcare screens.”

Hong Kong – Bonnie Wong, known as DJ Ah Jeng for 903 FM, is featured alongside her mother in a fun and quirky Chinese New Year-centric advertising campaign by online classifieds platform Carousell in Hong Kong. In it, they motivate their fans to declutter to bring luck, and hope for a better 2022, by selling these second-hand items on the platform.

Throughout the video, Ah Jeng and her mother share a twist on the usual decluttering habits, by listing items to usher in different types of luck for the new year. For example, selling game consoles for better personal relations luck, and selling books for better career luck.

Said ad is part of Carousell HK’s ‘Spring Cleaning Week’ campaign to encourage Hong Kongers to declutter in a more sustainable way. Instead of throwing away items that are still in good condition, you can list them on Carousell for win-win outcomes: save the earth by reducing waste, and earning back money for giving out lai see, or the red envelopes given out during Chinese New Year.

From 7 to 23 Jan, users can list all their unwanted items from decluttering on Carousell to win exclusive CNY gift bags, which contain red packets, hand sanitizer and decor such as fai chun (a CNY-themed decoration with Chinese calligraphy) and a limited edition Carousell Mahjong set.

For Kevin Huang, managing director at Carousell Hong Kong, there is an untapped preloved earning potential in Hong Kong. Citing their own Carousell Recommerce Index, they discovered that each Hong Kong user has an estimated average of 43 unwanted items they store in their homes that could be sold.

“Chinese New Year is generally a time where people clean their homes, declutter and sometimes throw away many items that are still in good condition. Coupled with the traditions of buying everything new for the new year, there is a lot of waste involved. We want to encourage celebrating in a more sustainable way that is better for the environment, and also by encouraging people to do so in a practical manner that can spark change.”

He added, “List your pre-loved items on Carousell; save the earth and also earn back some money. For those who want to clear items quickly, you can also do so by listing items for free on Carousell in our Free Category.”

This campaign is reminiscent of Carousell’s previous regional campaign for Hong Kong and Singapore where they encourage users to declutter stuff and sell them at Carousell. For this CNY-themed campaign, it was made possible with influencer agency Cloudbreakr, creative agency Hungry Digital, and media agencies Essence and Wavemaker HK.

Hong Kong – UDomain, Hong Kong-based blockchain solutions provider, has announced a rebranding to reflect its position as a pioneer blockchain solution provider. It has now changed its name to just ‘UD’ and has launched a new branding visual identity and website.

Founded in 1998 in Hong Kong, UD has been a major cloud and cybersecurity solution provider in the Greater China region. Presently, UD aims to help businesses grow by leveraging innovative blockchain technology and providing a one-stop solution that includes consulting services, technical development, and business matching to solution deployment

The company said the rebranding strategy aims to represent both the expansion of products and services of the company from domain services and cloud and security solutions to blockchain solutions, and to mirror “its vision for the future”.

Its new logo is a gradient midnight blue background with “UD” on it, which has been designed to exhibit a strong and distinctive brand image through minimalistic style. The new website, UD.hk, meanwhile, will prominently feature the company’s focus on connecting business to the world of blockchain and metaverse and helping enterprises enter web 3.0. 

The rebranding move is also accompanied by a series of new blockchain offerings to provide strategic business insight and technical support for blockchain projects. The rollout includes blockchain consulting services, NFT solutions, blockchain domain & validator, business crypto wallet, and tokenomics development.

Singapore – Direct-to-consumer streaming platform HBO Max has named Jason Monteiro as its newest general manager for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Through the new role, Monteiro will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer business, leading content experience, brand, marketing, subscriber management, digital partnerships and data analytics.

He will be temporarily reporting to Johannes Larcher, head of HBO Max International, until a new managing director for the broader INSEAK region (India, Southeast Asia and Korea) is appointed.

With extensive OTT leadership experience across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, Monteiro will also oversee the existing HBO GO streaming service and the eventual launch of HBO Max in the region, building and leading a team of cross-functional executives to maximize the streamer’s success.

Prior to joining HBO Max, he was the director of AVOD at Shahid, a leading Arabic content streaming platform. Prior to Shahid, he was the general manager of Indonesia and Malaysia for iflix, and he also ran marketing as the company’s chief marketing officer. He has also held leadership roles at a number of telecommunications companies across Southeast Asia and the Middle East, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.

Speaking about his appointment, he said, “I could not be more excited to be joining this amazing organization and in particular to lead the charge for HBO Max. It’s going to be such a thrill to work with the people across WarnerMedia to bring the likes of ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Harry Potter,’ DC, Warner Bros., HBO favorites, new Max Originals and many more, to the viewers in Southeast Asia.”

Meanwhile, Larcher commented, “Jason arrives at HBO Max with a proven track record of building and growing subscription services across Asia and other important global markets. He’s a passionate leader known for building and inspiring high-performing teams, and I’m eager to see his leadership in action as he steps into his new role today.”

Singapore – A group of independent public relations agencies representing Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, as well as Singapore, and South Korea has joined forces to form the new ‘PerfectPitch Asia PR Network’ in SEA. 

The new network aims to support global companies in strategizing and implementing their business communications programs as they venture into Asian markets. It is composed of female founders who are experts in brand strategy, public relations, and integrated marketing, as well as social media.

PerfectPitch founders include Constance Chao, the founder of Media Plus for Mainland China and Taiwan, Maggie Chen, independent representative for Hong Kong, and Yukiko Harada, TrainTracks’ managing director for Japan, as well as Melinda Ilagan, I.M. SEA Communications’ managing director for Singapore, and June Cha, TwinTracks’ managing director for South Korea.

Harada said, “We have come together combining the depth and breadth of our experiences in various industries, practices, and our respective geographies to provide global clients good counsel and strong execution to help them succeed in Asia’s mega-economy.”

Meanwhile, Ilagan shared that SEA continues to experience brisk growth as global enterprises and disruptive innovators set their eyes on the region’s young, tech-savvy talent and consumers.

“Our experience is that global companies and our counterpart agencies in the western hemisphere seek expert advisors in the most economically vibrant countries like Singapore, Mainland China/Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea. They come to us because of our intimate understanding of this diverse region,” said Ilagan.

Chao also noted, “With over 20 decades of media experience in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan via Media Plus and Maggie Cheng, PerfectPitch can provide the total solution for the companies who want to enter into these comprehensive markets.”

As free trade agreements get ratified and borders start to reopen amid COVID-19 PerfectPitch said it is anticipating a fresh burst of business opportunities coming into the region.