Tag: Hong Kong

Hong Kong – Global creative and CRM agency Wunderman Thompson has appointed Sheungyan ‘Mayan’ Lo, the current head of its APAC unit’s creative team, to be its new chief creative officer in Hong Kong.

Lo has been at the helm of the APAC creative team for more than two decades and will continue to be heavily involved in client work and support the creative team and leadership in the Greater China offices and beyond.

With Lo’s guidance, the APAC unit has been recognized at some of the industry’s best shows including Japan’s AI Manga for KIOXIA and Thailand’s Stay Home Miles Exchange for Thai Airways. 

In addition, his work has received accolades worldwide at award-giving bodies such as Cannes, One Show, and D&AD, as well as Clio, and LIA, among others. Lo has also been regularly invited to be on the other side – as a jury panel to help decide which among the entries are award-winning pieces of work. 

As part of the new role, Lo will be leading the Hong Kong creative department.

Commenting on his appointment, Lo said, “I am delighted to go back home. And I am even more excited to work closely with all the talents in my home market.”

Meanwhile, Matt Parry, the managing director at Wunderman Thompson Hong Kong, vouched for Lo, looking to him as one of the most respected creative leaders in Asia. 

“He has an incredible track record of delivering outstanding creative solutions for some of the most iconic brands in this region. I could not be more excited that Mayan is returning home,” said Parry.

Lo’s appointment coincides with the departure of Carlos Camacho, executive creative director, who is moving to the Amsterdam team.

Hong Kong – To commemorate World Environment Day which was celebrated on 5 June, AXA Insurance in Hong Kong and Macau has launched the first film for its ‘Know You Can’ local hero campaign series. 

The ‘Know You Can’ local hero campaign series is a lineup of videos that aims to promote environmental awareness. It hopes to inspire and encourage AXA customers to support and adopt a green lifestyle. AXA has been active in its sustainability advocacy implementing e-services called Emma by AXA which replaces physical policy documents with eStatements or eAdvices. Through the series, the company also aims to encourage consumers to use said services. 

The kick-off video seeks to make a positive difference in the community by sending the message of the value of protecting the earth through ‘confidence, passion, and action’. The pilot film features Lance Lau, a Hong Kong-based 12-year-old youth climate activist, where he sends across his belief that big change begins with little things, echoing AXA’s strong belief in combating climate change. 

According to Andrea Wong, the chief marketing and customer officer at AXA Hong Kong and Macau, the local hero series was launched as an extension of their global brand campaign in an aim to further reinforce their brand promise ‘Know You Can’ and bring to life their purpose ‘Act for human progress by protecting what matters’. 

“Through such a genuine story of Lance, we hope to inspire people to embrace the future with confidence and combat climate change together. Lance’s video is only the first in our ‘Know You Can’ video series, we will be sharing more stories of local heroes who have demonstrated the power of leveraging confidence to create a better world,” said Wong.

The series is already running across digital, social media channels, as well as the AXA website, where audiences are also reminded of the ways they can join hands with AXA to pitch in the ‘Go Green’ movement.

Hong Kong – With the rise in popularity of virtual banks such as Ant Bank, ZA Bank, and Mox Bank in Hong Kong, data company Vpon has recently published a report on the current state of virtual banks in Hong Kong, how they strategize their marketing strategies, and what traditional financial institutions can learn from them.

In the report, Vpon noted that virtual banks have a greater tendency to spark immediate gimmicks to promote their services through promotional campaigns. ZA Bank was the first to offer a promotional package upon Government’s Cash Payout Scheme to attract users, which resulted in a 500% growth rate of new installs. 

Fusion Bank, on the other hand, collaborated with a TV channel by sponsoring digital red packets and cash coupons worth over HK$20M that has resulted in an 1800% increase in growth. Meanwhile, Mox Bank leveraged strategic cooperation and became the first virtual bank in Hong Kong to launch credit on card service, aiming to turn loss into profit as a mid-to-long-term market strategy.

In addition, Vpon also noted that virtual banks have a pattern of ‘go viral, go deep’ in their marketing strategy, wherein they maintain a sustainable install rate and retain loyal users, and then mastering Big Data to understand their current customers and uncover their potential customers.

Demographic-wise, the report noted that the larger demographic of virtual bank users in Hong Kong are 69% male and 31% female, and are prevalent in Hong Kong’s residential areas such as the Southern District and Tai Po District.

Virtual banks tend to be more popular among the younger generation. Zealous Youth and ‘digital learners’ ranked first and second respectively, as they can be seen as more digitized and keen on exploring new technology. Meanwhile, traditional bank users are usually retail lovers and automotive enthusiasts, and their consumption hinges more on life utilities. Besides, they also tend to be more finance-oriented and show interest in other banking and finance services.

With the large majority of virtual bank users being tech-savvy, they mainly engage in toys and games and electronic gadgets ads. In addition, they show interest in food and drinks. Traditional bank users, meanwhile, are more interested in retail and automotive-related ads. They also engage in house care products and tend to fall in cosmetics-related ads. 

In terms of mobile usage, virtual bank users are mainly concentrated in morning to lunch hours during weekdays. Not surprisingly, 24/7 operation hours are also a possible reason for the midnight activeness of virtual bank users. On the other hand, traditional bank users are generally more active in the early morning till the end of the lunch hours during weekdays. Comparatively, the usage rate is lower during weekends due to limited office hours for offline customer service.

Despite the challenging business environment, the report projected an impressive growth of the virtual banking sector over the past year by launching various initiatives for brand building to lure potential customers. Some of them have acted in concert with different market pre-conditions and government benefits to formulate specific offerings, such as account opening rewards, high deposit interest rate and maximum cashback to attract new customers.

Hong Kong – Asia news company South China Morning Post (SCMP) has announced that its ‘Advertising and Marketing Solutions Team’ will be rebranded as ‘SCMP Advertising’, which brings a greater focus on the company’s emphasis and strength in focus on digital innovation to help drive impact for brands and partners.

Through the identity revamp, SCMP positions itself as an insight-driven brand partner committed to driving client success across APAC, after being the first news publisher in Asia to launch a first-party data platform in SCMP Lighthouse and brand suitability tool in SCMP Signal. These digital tools have garnered positive feedback from clients who can look forward to new and updated features when SCMP launches their next iteration this year. 

SCMP Advertising aims to help brands and partners to make an impact with readers seeking to understand global issues from an Asian perspective. The news company’s expanding international audience has allowed advertisers new opportunities to connect with globally-minded readers, with a reach of nearly 51 million monthly readers globally. 

Furthermore, SCMP Advertising connects thought-leading editorial content with brands across print and digital media platforms and develops leading digital marketing solutions, and runs campaigns that deliver results.

“SCMP Advertising’s rebranding reinforces our legacy as a trusted partner that works with brands to make an impact with readers. This is a significant step in our evolution that showcases our commitment to industry innovations that drives performance and our commitment to our clients,” said Elsie Cheung, chief operating officer at SCMP.

In addition to the aforementioned objectives, SCMP Advertising offers a comprehensive portfolio of integrated offerings with 360-degree multiplatform coverage and campaign effectiveness. In addition to its first-party data platform, SCMP Lighthouse, to support its clients with purposeful intelligence that delivers more effective and efficient campaigns to highly-targeted audiences. 

At the same time, SCMP holds brand safety as a top priority and has developed the publisher-built brand suitability tool SCMP Signal to ensure partners’ messages are placed in the optimal context. SCMP Advertising’s offerings includes its brand-storytelling team Morning Studio which continues to give leading clients across APAC a voice through bespoke content marketing solutions.

The SCMP Advertising revamp follows the recent appointment of Darryl Choo as the new company’s regional sales director for APAC, which entails him to identify new business opportunities, and define strategies to generate new growth opportunities.

Shanghai, China – Atelier Pacific, a Hong Kong-based multidisciplinary design studio, finally expands outside of Hong Kong into Shanghai, as well as collaborating with tramway system Hong Kong Tramways in presenting their ‘Art Tram’ design as a form of tribute to the positive energy Hong Kong is known.

The studio’s expansion to Shanghai falls also under their 25th anniversary of business in Hong Kong, where they will be offering a wealth of experience in public space design, including venues as varied as museums, malls, and railway stations. The studio aims to bring its expertise to the Greater China region, applying it to the design of spaces for the post-pandemic era.

Speaking about the expansion and the new project collaboration, Nic Banks, founder and director of Atelier Pacific, believes that collaboration has become more essential than ever in ensuring growth and innovation in the design industry.

“As a company, collaboration with our clients is at our core – we have done so effectively for more than two decades and it has allowed us to achieve high levels of success throughout the Asia-Pacific region. As we open our new office in Shanghai, we look forward to further expanding our business throughout the Greater China region, while continuing to provide our clients with the unparalleled quality of service that we are renowned for,” Banks stated.

Their collaboration with Hong Kong Tramways features trams that are donned with cartoon-esque fantastical views of the city, showcasing its unique characteristics and culture in a fun and engaging way for the public to enjoy, while also drawing attention to Atelier Pacific’s contribution to the cityscape. 

Throughout the design, familiar scenes are present, such as a group of friends playing mahjong on the side of the street, celebratory lion-dances, and roast ducks hanging by the window of a local restaurant. Key Atelier Pacific projects for clients such as the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Louis Vuitton, MTRC and others, are also featured, highlighting the studio’s collaborative client approach to success.

Despite the pandemic, Banks noted that the circumstances has allowed them to rethink their purpose and value, as well as creating more visions that best represent the creative mindset designed for their clients beyond commercial design projects.

“We wanted to contribute something non-commercial and invest in a design that would bring a positive message to the Hong Kong people at the start of the year and the start of our next 25 years of business. Hong Kong Tramways was the ideal partner to make this happen. Our entire team was involved in this meaningful project from beginning to end, devoting their professional design skills to create art that’s purpose was to unite and bring happiness to Hongkongers,” Banks explained.

Hong Kong – As technology plays a big part in the ongoing transformation of the travel industry, RateDock has launched a travel platform that connects demand partners to an array of properties that use different connectivity partners with one simple connection.

RateDock aims to empower connections between hotels and travel agencies. It works as a direct interface between the accommodation provider, connectivity partner, and the demand partner, seamlessly connected through the RateDock platform.

The demand partners of RateDock are travel agents, tour operators, and DMCs, as well as travel SMEs. It supports purely from a technical level to facilitate the connection, and it should be noted that all commercial terms and relationships are managed between the accommodation and the demand partner. 

Furthermore, other benefits of the accommodations also include cost-saving support through business matching and direct partnership, as well as ensuring full control of distribution. Using the existing connectivity partner, the property can increase the number of demand partners with one simple connection which improves speed to market and optimizes revenue generation. 

“By connecting to Ratedock, we want to make it easier for properties to automate rate, availability, and booking management processes. On the other hand, demand partners can receive live rates and availability which will improve their ability to compete in the market,” said Marco Bacchilega, the founder and CEO of RateDock.

Hong Kong – Ad-Lib.io, a global creative management platform, has announced that it will be expanding its presence to Hong Kong, and has also added two new members to its regional team as the company expands its focus on the Greater China region to enable further global growth.

Randal Foo takes the helm as RVP of Sales in APAC and Rishima Mohindru as the platform’s client partner for Hong Kong and Greater China.

Foo joins Ad-Lib.io from his previous sales positions at enterprise tag management Tealium and customer engagement company Cheetah Digital, where he served as regional sales and head of sales respectively. He brings to the company nearly 15 years of sales and digital marketing experience in the Asia Pacific region. 

Ad-Lib.io-Hong-Kong-Expansion-Appointment-New-Hires
(Left) Randal Foo, RVP of Sales in APAC; (Right) Rishima Mohindru, client partner for Hong Kong and Greater China.

Meanwhile, Mohindru comes from media company Omnicom Media Group, where she served as lead of APAC recently. She brings to the company her experience in helping brands expand their digital footprint while growing their online business through her deep understanding of the industry spanning from execution to strategy.

Both new hires will report to Rupert Privett, head of APAC at Ad-Lib.io.

“APAC advertisers face huge challenges delivering effective creative for their campaigns due to limited resources to produce and adapt relevant creative across multiple formats, channels, audiences, cultures, and markets,” Privett said.

He added, “To have the most impact, APAC advertisers need tools to simplify their production and targeting processes and we are proud to be uniquely positioned to help them achieve their goals.”

Hong Kong – Due to the prolonged economic impacts brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the confidence rate among small and medium businesses (SMBs) is at an all-time low, according to a new survey from professional accounting body CPA Australia.

Only 16% of surveyed Hong Kong small businesses reported growth last year, and only 21% expect their business to grow this year. Furthermore, the survey also stated that the weak outlook is reflected in the cautious approach of Hong Kong small businesses’ increasing their headcounts. Only 12% of respondents expect to increase staff in 2021, compared to the APAC survey average of 36%.

In addition, Hong Kong small businesses are also less inclined to innovate, with only 8.5% of respondents stating they will introduce new products or services in 2021, compared to the average of 23% in the APAC.

“For two consecutive years, expectations of business growth among Hong Kong small businesses have been the lowest of the surveyed markets. 53% of respondents identified COVID-19 as having had a major negative impact on their business operations in 2020, and 65% of them expect to need one year or more to recover,” said Janssen Chan, 2021 divisional president for Greater China at CPA Australia.

When asked what major actions businesses took in response to COVID-19, small businesses in Hong Kong were most likely to have sought government support and subsidies (33%), reduced capital expenditure (32%), and reduced staff numbers and costs (22%).

The response is also reported in other findings that beginning or increasing the focus on online sales was one of the key actions taken by small businesses in many of the markets surveyed.

“The relief measures announced by the SAR Government supported small businesses to combat the worst of the pandemic. According to the survey, 44% of the respondents sought external funds for business survival. Using government grants as the main source of external finance jumped from 9% in 2019 to a record high of 33% last year,” Chan added.

Chan also noted that the government’s initiative to issue electronic consumption vouchers, as announced in the Hong Kong Budget, is one great opportunity for SMBs in taking advantage of e-commerce and digital payment options. He also recommended reopening applications to the Distance Business Programme to continue driving digitalization and technology adoption of small businesses.

The Distance Business Programme is an initiative by the Hong Kong government to support enterprises in adopting IT solutions to continue their business and services during the epidemic.

“While business innovation may involve additional expenditure in the short term, small businesses in Hong Kong should be more proactive in reassessing their resource allocation and consider innovating through the adoption of technology. This could enhance their long-term competitiveness and help them keep pace with their peers in other Asia-Pacific economies,” Chan added.

The survey recommended Hong Kong businesses to consider certain measures such as managing cash flow and debt closely paying attention to the cost of external financing, leveraging government support schemes to increase the adoption of technology, as well as to identify, invest in and adopt new technologies to keep innovating.