Tag: Hong Kong

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.

Hong Kong – On-demand delivery platform Lalamove in Hong Kong has launched a new campaign that transforms its delivery trucks into moving pieces of art, thanks to the support of local artistic talents.

The campaign features four artists namely Din Dong, PureHay Art, Thomas napoleon, and Wa Gor, to which they took Lalamove’s orange branding as inspiration, to present Lalamove’s diverse range of services through each of their unique styles.

For Din Dong’s art style, him and his friends are dressing up as Lalamove’s driver-partners and couriers to deliver all kinds of goods, including their furry friends, delivering surprises to Hong Kongers in every district. Meanwhile, Art’s work employed his well-known’ ‘digital punk’ style and turned Lalamove’s delivered parcels into deconstructed goods inside delivery robots’ headpieces, presenting Lalamove’s services in a futuristic way.

Napoleon’s artwork, on the other hand, depicts a ‘dreamy’ delivery scene that captures Lalamove driver and walker partners who deliver to every corner of the city with flying speed. The robot he created marked the number ‘1022’, echoing Lalamove’s anniversary. 

Lastly, Gor’s calligraphy can be seen on numerous Hong Kong movie posters. He incorporated traditional Chinese calligraphy into his artwork, giving Lalamove’s brand slogan an extra ‘oomph’ with his distinct calligraphic style. His strong and powerful strokes furnish the truck with an understated beauty while conveying a sense of safety and reliability – Lalamove’s brand promises. 

From 25 November onwards, the eight limited-edition trucks will roam the streets of Hong Kong for six consecutive months, celebrating the company’s 8th anniversary. The Lalamove trucks will make a surprise appearance on Haiphong Road in Tsim Sha Tsui on 5 December. Din Dong Cat will also join the party to deliver joy.

Alex Kwan, director for marketing at Lalamove, said, “Lalamove is not just about delivering goods. We are helping people to solve their daily problems by bringing convenience through our reliable and fast delivery service. We are pleased to partner with four talented local artists to together transform the trucks, which are usually regarded as functional tools, into art pieces that pedestrians could appreciate. 

Kwan added, “We welcome more driver-partners to join this campaign and turn their trucks into walking works of art that form parts of Hong Kongers’ lives, like Lalamove’s services.”

Lalamove is also giving out special prizes to selected consumers who capture and post pictures of the special-edition trucks on Instagram with a caption on how they plan to deliver joy to their friends and family this Christmas tagging @lalamovehk and #LalamoveSupportsLocalArtist. The event will last from 25 November to 15 December.

Hong Kong – Travel and leisure booking platform, Klook, has announced its joint venture with ZA Tech, the technology venture founded by online insurance ZA International, with the aim to accelerate the availability and accessibility of travel-related insurance to consumers across the globe.

The joint venture will synergize Klook’s global presence and hyper-localized go-to-market strategy alongside ZA Tech’s experience in insurance innovation and technological know-how, ensuring global consumers to have seamless access to a broad selection of travel-related insurance policies at competitive prices.

As part of the agreement, insurers will be able to partner with Klook to feature their insurance products on travel and leisure platforms. Klook will also work closely with insurers to design products that address the pain points of consumers in the new normal. 

C.S. Soong, the vice president of corporate development at Klook, said, “With this, we can further simplify customers’ travel journey, enabling them to discover, book, and purchase all they need during their travels from travel-related insurance to experiences.”

Meanwhile, Young Yang, ZA Tech’s general manager for SEA, commented, “Combining ZA Tech’s cutting-edge solutions and Klook’s extensive market coverage, we are confident we can redefine customers’ travel experience by providing the right insurance product in the right place in a hassle-free way. More exciting developments are to come.” 

Klook will be kickstarting travel-related insurance products on its platform by the end of this year, with a focus on APAC. In addition to the said partnership, ZA Tech will also empower Klook’s platform by exporting its proprietary solution Fusion, to create a seamless digital experience for travelers and the ecosystem partners. 

Moreover, Klook will be leveraging ZA Tech’s customer insights to various markets to strengthen product innovation, customer engagement, and increase insurance penetration.

Hong Kong – As part of HSBC’s commitment to helping consumers get closer to their next trip abroad, the financial institution has launched an immersive 3D innovation campaign, aimed at highlighting its EveryMile Credit Card.

HSBC’s EveryMile Credit Card offers cardholders various spending benefits and rewards when traveling. It is also the bank’s first credit card in Hong Kong made from 85% recycled plastic.

The new campaign, which is created in collaboration with creative and CRM agency Wunderman Thompson and media company PHD Hong Kong, brings comedy legend Dayo Wong Tze Wah, superstar Ronald Cheng Chung Kei, and musical phenomenon Mirror’s Lokman and Tiger together for a fun-filled adventure through space. Titled ‘Takes You Further Every Day’, the campaign extends the TVC narrative to the rest of the multi-channel and innovative campaign.

Its storyline also continues with a series of interactive OOH marketing, starting with a first-in-the-industry 3D TV ad of HSBC’s spaceship flying using naked-eye technology.

HSBC said, “The EveryMile Credit Card campaign leverages new technology to attract, engage, and interact with customers but more importantly, the campaign is appealing to a wide range of local audiences with culturally relevant content and generational talents embracing their roles as Space Rangers and ambassadors for EveryMile Credit Card launch.”

The advertisement is currently displayed on a 3D TV screen in the high-traffic district of Causeway Bay at 3 Matheson Street in Hong Kong. 

In addition, HSBC is also inviting audiences to take part in an ongoing interactive game, where participants will be searching for three pieces of the Space Rangers’ flying saucer scattered around the city with a chance to win RewardCash if they succeed in retrieving the displaced parts. 

The locations of the pieces are hidden in the series of integrated takeovers including the 3D installation displayed at Queens Road Central, the 3D TV, and the light show outside HSBC’s main building.

Hong Kong – Online sales festivals are known for encouraging users to spend more across various e-commerce platforms. But for this time, classifieds platform Carousell did the opposite: inviting Hong Kongers to sell their underutilized items and earn some spare cash.

The campaign, which will roll out for a month from 12 November to 9 December, takes visual inspiration from the ubiquitous Sau Mai Lo, a local term for a rag-and-bone man, to remind everyone that they already have a ‘Sau Mai Lo’ in the palm of their hands anytime, and can easily list their items and earn back some spare cash.

“They can channel whatever remorse they may feel about overconsumption into selling, and create more shared possibilities where everyone wins,” said Kevin Huang, managing director at Carousell Hong Kong in a statement to MARKETECH APAC.

Huang also told MARKETECH APAC that the local campaign launch is timely with the upcoming Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) charging scheme in Hong Kong, adding that they hope to encourage more conversations about mindful spending and a culture where buying secondhand is the first choice.

“11.11 is an important date to most e-commerce sites, but as a classifieds marketplace whose vision is to make secondhand the first choice, we wanted to continue to drive the key message about sustainability and reducing overconsumption. We have seen how buying and selling second hand has helped everyday Hong Kongers to make extra cash and reduce waste at the same time,” he stated.

Huang further added, “In addition, acceptance of preloved products are becoming increasingly accepted in Hong Kong, and we see this as a continuing trend as we become more conscious of becoming more environmentally friendly.”

As part of the local campaign, Carousell has also launched a three-day onsite activation at Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay featuring 903 DJ Bonnie Wong (Ah Jeng) and 70 micro influencers.

Passersby can meet and take photos with Ah Jeng, and take part in activities to win a limited edition Samuel Ashley tote bag. To encourage more people to list their items, users with the highest number of listings stand a chance to win autographed gifts from Ah Jeng, including her T-shirt from “be ON game”, Nintendo Switch Controllers, speakers and coffee from Ah Jeng Coffee Club.

“We have seen good results so far in the first weekend. Our teaser video featuring Ah Jeng had over 15,600 views on Instagram, and Ah Jeng’s two Instagram posts had over 23,000 likes,” Huang noted.

The campaign has also rolled out in Singapore, in which according to Cassandra Leong, head of regional marketing at Carousell, had actually materialized last year when they ‘took to the streets to boycott 11/11’. She added that for this year, while other brands were busy shouting about their 11/11 sales last week, they reminded their users that they can consume sustainably, even while shopping for 11/11 sales.

“We understand buyer’s remorse deeply, and we’re reminding users that we’ll be here for them long after the flash one-day sales, not just for the lowest prices and deals all year around, but we’re also here for them to earn their money back from purchases or any decisions they may regret,” Leong added.

The Singapore rollout of the Carousell campaign was made possible by 72andSunny Singapore, to whom they appointed as creative partner during March this year.

Daniel Ko, creative director at 72andSunny Singapore, commented, “As a self-confessed chronic shopaholic, I must admit that this was inspired by what people like me need – I’ll definitely be turning some of my remorse into Carousell listings.”