Tag: Hong Kong

Hong Kong – Alternative payment solutions are the preferred payment method for e-commerce purchases in Hong Kong (China SAR), collectively accounting for 41.7% share in 2023, according to data and analytics company GlobalData.

The report reveal that e-commerce market in Hong Kong grew by 10.5% in 2023 to reach HKD160.3b(US$20.5b), as increasing number of consumers shifted from offline to online purchases. The e-commerce market is estimated to grow by 13% to reach HKD181b ($23.1b) in 2024.

Amongst the various tools used for e-commerce purchases, alternative payments are the most preferred. They collectively accounted for 41.7% share in 2023, a trend that is prevalent in many Asian markets. This is mainly owing to factors such as simplicity, speed, and convenience.

Moreover, alternative payment solutions are followed by payment cards, which accounted for 38.6% of the total e-commerce transaction value in 2023. This can be attributed to convenience, pricing benefits such as cashback, discounts, and reward points as well as instalment payment options available with these cards.

Alternative payment solutions are followed by payment cards, which accounted for 38.6% of the total e-commerce transaction value in 2023. This can be attributed to convenience, pricing benefits such as cashback, discounts, and reward points as well as instalment payment options available with these cards.

Ravi Sharma, lead banking and payments analyst at GlobalData, said, “The e-commerce sales in Hong Kong have been growing at a robust pace, supported by the rising internet and smartphone penetration, robust online payment infrastructure, coupled with increasing consumer confidence in online transactions.”

Ravi added, “Hong Kong’s e-commerce landscape continues its upward trajectory, poised for substantial growth between 2024 and 2028, with an anticipated compound annual growth rate of 9% in transaction value to reach HKD 255.7b (US$32.7b) in 2028. Alternative payment solutions are expected to continue their growth and lead e-commerce payments in Hong Kong.”

According to the Office of Communications Authority, 96.9% of the households had broadband internet connection as of April 2024. Furthermore, online shopping festivals such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Singles’ Day have also contributed to the overall growth of e-commerce in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong – As the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games begin, Cathay has teamed up with Publicis Groupe Hong Kong to launch a new campaign honouring the historic achievements of previous Hong Kong’s Paralympians.

Titled ‘Every Move Counts,’ Cathay’s campaign seeks to revive and spotlight the stories behind Hong Kong’s most legendary Paralympic moments, many of which were barely recorded and have since faded from memory.

The campaign puts a focus on three trailblazing Paralympians—Cho Ping, Benny Cheung, and Ko Chi Kin. Utilising AI, it reimagines and brings to life the pivotal moments when these athletes competed and won medals for Hong Kong.

As part of the campaign launch, Cathay is also rolling out a range of supportive initiatives for Hong Kong’s Paralympians, including special check-in counters, excess baggage allowances, dedicated baggage handling in Hong Kong and Paris, unlimited business class flights, 1 million miles for medallists, and more.

Edward Bell, general manager of brand, insights, and marketing at Cathay, said, “As the Official Airline Partner of the China Hong Kong Paralympics Committee, Cathay wanted to honour the grit, passion, and sheer talent of our home city’s Paralympics team, who share Cathay’s ‘Move Beyond’ spirit. Just like them, Cathay strives to make every move count, so we launched a campaign to ensure that this year these amazing athletes get the recognition and cheers they deserve.”

Halo Cheng, group creative director at Leo Burnett Hong Kong, added, “We’ve been oblivious to the monumental feats from our highest-achieving athletes for too long, but now Hong Kong’s Paralympians are finally getting the cheers they deserve. It was a huge honour to interview past Paralympians and learn their stories. We may have missed out on cheering for past Paralympians, but it’s not too late to cheer on this year’s 23 athletes.” 

Cathay recently introduced its new brand ambassador, Siobhán Haughey, a double bronze medallist at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Together, they are championing support for Hong Kong’s local athletes while inspiring everyone to reach new heights in their own journeys.

Hong Kong – DBS in Hong Kong has announced the launch of its new ‘Trust Your Spark’ brand campaign, which aims to inspire people to believe in themselves and make their dreams a reality. The campaign conveys the message that there is a spark within each person that allows them to live more fully when they trust in themselves and lean into their potential.

The campaign will be brought to life through a variety of initiatives, including an AI Photo Generator tour popping up around Hong Kong over the next two weeks. This mobile photo experience uses Gen-AI to create personalised photo previews of participants living their dreams, whether as a musician, athlete, artist or any aspiration. 

By visualising their future self, DBS hopes to ignite inner sparks, especially for youth, and motivate people to pursue their passions. 

Participants can also redeem a portable fan on-site while supplies last. They will also receive a printed photo preview of their future dreamed self, which they can share on social media. By uploading their personalised dream photo to Facebook or Instagram with #TrustYourSpark, people will be entered into a lucky draw for the chance to win prizes to help make their next dream come true.

Amy Wu, executive director of group strategic marketing and communications at DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, said, “At DBS, we believe there is an inner spark waiting to be unleashed so people can live a more rich and meaningful life. Our ‘Trust Your Spark’ campaign aims to inspire that belief through real-life stories of DBS customers, employees, and partners who found courage to do more because they believed in themselves and trusted that DBS had their backs.” 

Hong Kong – CA SEGA JOYPOLIS, renowned for operating Japan’s TOKYO JOYPOLIS indoor amusement park, has announced its plans to expand internationally with the launch of its first overseas flagship, JOYPOLIS SPORTS Indoor Sportainment Park, at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Mall.

Tailored for Kai Tak Sports Park’s Kai Tak Mall, the new sports-themed park will cover five stories and nearly 30,000 square feet, featuring more than 20 attractions that combine cutting-edge technology with innovative entertainment to offer locals and visitors a unique experience of interactive sports. 

The new JOYPOLIS SPORTS in Hong Kong will feature three distinct themed zones offering unique sports experiences. Highlights include the debut of the ‘Sonic Stadium,’ an interactive playground themed around Sonic the Hedgehog; the ‘Ninja Dojo Zone,’ which combines traditional Japanese ninja elements with the Ninja Warrior sports concept for immersive, experiential learning; and the ‘Future Arena Zone,’ showcasing CA SEGA JOYPOLIS’s latest innovations with cutting-edge sports games developed by top industry creators.

As the flagship JOYPOLIS SPORTS location in Hong Kong, this expansive entertainment centre is set to be a premier destination for health enthusiasts. It also promises future collaborations with popular Japanese brands and IPs for exclusive events and limited-edition merchandise.

Meanwhile, the top floor of JOYPOLIS SPORTS will feature ‘Hungry Tiger Hidden Dragon,’ a restaurant and bar designed by Keo W. This venue blends sports elements with popular IPs and offers a semi-alfresco dining area with a stunning stadium view. Its trendy modernist interiors showcase Western-Japanese fusion cuisine, including healthy options and themed meals. In the evening, it transforms into a stylish bar, creating an interactive space for spectators and event participants.

Speaking on the launch, Takeshi Yoshimoto, CEO of CA SEGA JOYPOLIS, said, “Opening the first authorised JOYPOLIS SPORTS flagship outside Japan in Hong Kong is a significant step in our global expansion. We selected Kai Tak Sports Park and its Kai Tak Mall for their excellent location and first-class facilities, which are sure to attract many local and international visitors. We believe this new indoor amusement park, which combines cutting-edge technology and innovative entertainment elements, will bring unprecedented entertainment experiences and surprises to all visitors.”

Andrew Tsui, general manager of JOYPOLIS SPORTS HONG KONG, added, “We are thrilled to bring JOYPOLIS SPORTS to Hong Kong. With its mission “Sports for All Generations,” combined with the sportainment concept, unites the world’s top technology sports games to create a unique interactive experience for everyone. JOYPOLIS SPORTS is dedicated to offering exciting and fun entertainment for both locals and visitors. Whether you’re a fitness enthusiast, new to sports, or just looking to relax with friends, JOYPOLIS SPORTS has you covered. Our themed restaurant blends a healthy lifestyle with delicious food, providing a perfect spot to enjoy time with family and friends. Our goal is to become the leading sports social platform, and we believe the JOYPOLIS SPORTS Hong Kong flagship will set off a new wave of sportainment excitement across the city.”

Hong Kong – Pizza Hut Hong Kong has partnered with Edelman Hong Kong for a dynamic new campaign featuring their limited-edition ‘Torch Fries.’ The campaign includes an innovative social series that uses playful predictions to forecast the medal outcomes for Hong Kong athletes.

In this campaign, Pizza Hut has introduced a new social series titled ‘Frenchie Predictions,’ featuring a charismatic French presenter and his trusty fortune-telling companion, a French bulldog named Baguette, to predict whether Hong Kong’s athletes will win gold, silver, or bronze at the Games.

Baguette’s role involves selecting between Pizza Hut pizza boxes containing the ‘Torch Fries’ to determine the medal outcomes for Hong Kong’s beloved athletes, including Cheung Ka-long, Siobhan Haughey, and Vivian Kong.

The social series will air on Pizza Hut Hong Kong’s Instagram and Facebook channels, with hopes that Baguette’s lucky predictions will come true in the coming weeks.

Renee Chan, director of customer experience and marketing at Pizza Hut Hong Kong, said, “The Games always grip the city, and we didn’t want to let this pass. When you’re not an official sponsor you always need to get more innovative about how you show your support, and our limited-edition Torch Fries and Frenchie Predictions campaign does exactly that—in a playful and fun way.” 

Crystal Poon, integrated brand lead at Edelman Hong Kong, also stated, “When our athletes win, everybody and every brand reacts with joy. And so we wanted to get ahead and find a way to celebrate the outcomes before they even happened, and after Baguette correctly predicted the winner of the football game in Germany and the winning goal scorer, we knew what we had to do! .” 

The limited-edition ‘Torch Fries’ feature French fries and potato wedges wrapped in a garlic-infused oil-coated tortilla cone, designed to mimic the iconic Torch. Pizza Hut invites its fans to savour the excitement of the Games in a unique way with ‘Torch Fries.’

Hong Kong – Shenzhen-based digital banking leader WeBank has unveiled plans to establish its technology headquarters in Hong Kong, committing up to US$150 million to the venture and promising to create highly skilled technology jobs in the city.

The government has welcomed WeBank’s initiative, with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) and Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) working together to assist in the establishment of the technology company’s headquarters in Hong Kong.

WeBank’s technology company headquarters in Hong Kong will serve as a base for its R&D activities and provide commercialising technology solutions for global markets. 

As a key participant, contributor, and beneficiary of the Belt and Road Initiative, Hong Kong was chosen by WeBank for its vision, readiness to embrace frontier technologies, and vibrant fintech ecosystem. Additionally, Hong Kong’s well-established international financial services sector made it an ideal location for the bank’s new headquarters.

Alpha Lau, director-deneral of InvestHK, said, “The establishment of WeBank’s operation in Hong Kong has been the result of extensive co-ordination between the FSTB and InvestHK to ensure that the company is well positioned for success upon commencing its activities in our city. The numerous strategic enterprises that have recently announced the opening of international research and development (R&D) centres and headquarters in Hong Kong is clear evidence that our city possesses clear advantages in enabling globally scaled companies to achieve their ambitions. InvestHK warmly welcomes WeBank and remains fully committed to facilitating the establishment and growth of forward-thinking enterprises in our dynamic and vibrant business environment.”

Meanwhile, Li Nanqing, President of WeBank, shared, “Hong Kong has emerged as a centre of excellence in global business connectivity and financial technology innovation. It offers us an ideal environment to advance our innovation and expand our international footprint. We are excited to contribute to and benefit from the city’s dynamic fintech ecosystem, robust infrastructure, and strategic connectivity. We look forward to collaborating with local partners and stakeholders and attracting talent on this exciting next step of our journey.”

WeBank, serving over 4.5 million micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and nearly 400 million individuals in Mainland China, is renowned for its inclusive financial services. Recognised by the International Data Corporation as a global digital banking benchmark, WeBank excels in fintech innovation, particularly in AI, blockchain, cloud computing, and big data. To date, it has filed over 3,800 patent applications.

Hong Kong – Toys“R”Us has launched its first ‘Playful Living’ concept store in Asia at K11 Art Mall at Tsim Sha Tsui, aiming to make consumers regain their pure childhood happiness through their favourite characters’ decorations and treasured toys.

Having classic and trendy toys, Toys“R”Us’ new store shares a sense of kindness and warmth providing a new shopping experience in a relaxed, worry-free, comfortable, and fun environment.

To celebrate the grand opening of the Playful Living concept store, Ryan Lee, a local fitness trainer and artist, was invited by Toys“R”Us to have the 1st wave collaboration in the store to convey positive energy.

In addition of Rumbbell and Jacrbell products, there are also exhibits and photo points, creating a homey vibe full of positiveness and joy of life.

Different from the colourful and rich main colours of other stores, a large number of minimalist wood decorations equipped with furniture and household items such as dining tables and bookcases are used to create the dream room for “Kidults”.

The new store is stocked with classic and trendy toys, from Dragon Ball and Disney characters, to the recent popularity of Chiikawa, mofusand, LuLu The Piggy, as well as items with local characteristic can be exhibited in three main zones, “For Him”, “For Her” and “Together”.

Hong Kong – Omnicom Media Group Hong Kong (OMG HK) has created a proprietary and unique dashboard with enhanced functionality by incorporating Google’s Generative AI technology into its social listening framework. This connection helps brands to quickly and effectively evaluate massive amounts of social media interactions, identifying various nuances, settings, and consumer mood. 

The customised dashboard also distinguishes OMG HK and its agencies as more than just traditional media agencies, allowing them to broaden their capabilities and become more agile in an era where marketers seek to consolidate agency resources. 

This is a change from keyword-based social listening, as the first brand in the network to use this feature is Mead Johnson Nutrition, a client of PHD Hong Kong. Mead Johnson Nutrition can prioritise their media buys to reach particular demographics and maintain flexibility in their marketing endeavours by utilising the dashboard. 

OMG HK’s social listening dashboard has natural language processing capabilities through advanced language understanding provided by GenAI models. This makes it more adept than a keyword-based method in understanding the subtleties, context, and sentiment of social media posts and comments.

OMG HK’s proprietary dashboard can process ambiguity, sarcasm, complicated sentence structures, and colloquial idioms more precisely through the use of GenAI, which improves sentiment analysis and insights. Additionally, it has the ability to decipher and evaluate the meaning behind emojis and other non-textual components frequently found in social media messages. 

The improved social listening dashboard from OMG HK provides customizable sentiment analysis across several brands. It has the ability to effectively detect the mood conveyed towards each unique brand by screening comments that mention several companies. It ascertains whether the attitude is favourable, unfavourable, or neutral for each brand mentioned by examining the larger context. Even in intricate conversations involving multiple brands, this flexibility allows for more detailed and accurate brand-specific insights. 

Large volumes of social media data can be quickly processed by the improved dashboard created by OMG HK, and it can produce succinct, insightful reports. It finds the most important themes, subjects, and opinions that are present in the data and presents them in a way that is simple to understand. The generation of insights is accelerated and made more agile by this capacity. 

OMG HK’s dashboard can be adjusted and tailored to unique domains, industries, or scenarios that are pertinent to a given brand or market by using GenAI. With the use of this capacity, the GenAI model is better able to comprehend and interpret the lingo, subtleties, and vocabulary unique to that field, producing more precise and pertinent insights. 

OMG HK’s dashboard is scalable with its interface with Google BigQuery, which enables it to manage enormous volumes of social media data in real-time. The dashboard can track and examine social media streams in real-time, giving users the most recent information and facilitating fast reactions to new trends.

Chris Kwok, head of data, Omnicom Media Group Hong Kong, said, “Our proprietary proposition offers clients like Mead Johnson Nutrition with insights into customer sentiments and conversations. By leveraging advanced language understanding and analytics, we empower brands to make data-driven decisions and drive their social media strategies forward.” 

Meanwhile, Chloe Ko, marketing and acquisition director and business co-head at Mead Johnson Nutrition, commented, “With unparalleled insights and analysis of social media conversations, we can better understand our consumers and their sentiments. This empowers us to drive our marketing initiatives forward, making data-driven decisions that resonate with our target audience.”

Hong Kong – Blue Insurance Limited has tapped Omnicom Media Group (OMG) Hong Kong for its latest programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH) campaign that featured a retargeting strategy plan to achieve high accuracy and audience engagement. 

For this campaign, Blue Insurance aimed to boost awareness and consideration for its ‘Term Life Insurance (TL3)’ offering. To achieve this, OMG HK recognised the need for an innovative strategy to enhance the campaign’s effectiveness and introduced an advertising opportunity through clinic TVs.

The OMG HK team capitalised on using clinic TVs and strategically selected MTR stations near residential areas to raise awareness of life insurance among target audiences.

Blue Insurance and OMG HK placed digital ads on TV screens in clinic waiting rooms to educate patients on the importance of life insurance while they waited for consultations. This approach utilised a smaller, more targeted setting to engage consumers who might be considering insurance options. The campaign focused on approximately 60 clinics to effectively reach the intended audience.

The team also strategically chose MTR stations near 14 residential areas in Kowloon and the New Territories for ad placements. The ads were displayed on JC Decaux’s (JCD) trackside TVs and new 98-inch Ultra Digital Panels, making Blue Insurance the first client to utilise this cutting-edge technology. These panels represent JCD’s inaugural digital, 4K screens within their transport advertising network.

Unlike traditional OOH advertising, programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) placements deliver contextually relevant ads to individuals in the vicinity and enable retargeting on desktop or mobile devices, providing Blue Insurance with greater precision in their advertising efforts. The accuracy and effectiveness of this retargeting strategy revealed that over 90% of the retargeted audience, who were near the pDOOH ads, expressed interest in insurance products, with 68% specifically showing a keen interest in life insurance.

Jacky Wong, senior performance manager at OMG Hong Kong, said, “While OOH focuses on reaching a large audience, DOOH prioritises targeting quality. Our goal is to optimise ad spend for our clients by accurately retargeting users on mobile and desktop, ensuring every dollar is spent wisely for maximum impact.” 

Joanne Choy, senior manager of brand, distribution, and marketing at Blue Insurance Limited, also said, “The campaign has enabled us to successfully raise awareness of term life insurance and refundable critical illness insurance among our desired consumer groups. OMG Hong Kong is working with us to review the campaign and offer ways to better utilise retargeting for future initiatives. We are glad to have a partner that understands the importance of innovation and one that equips us with the knowledge and strategies to constantly enhance our marketing efforts.”

Hong Kong – DDB Group Hong Kong has acquired the creative and social media accounts for Tiger Brokers’ Tiger Trade trading platform. The agency will be in charge of all 2024 communications, including strategy and creative for branding, production, promotion, and social media. 

Building brand awareness and client acquisition in an established market of savvy investors is the brand’s main goal. DDB will have to help with increasing appeal, reaching a wider audience, and establishing brand presence. 

Tiger Trade’s low-commission real-time trading software provides investors with technology, knowledge, and inventiveness. The smartphone app is young and only getting started in the Hong Kong market, it already has over 2.2 million account holders worldwide. 

Speaking about the appointment, Lowe Low, Senior brand marketing manager at Tiger Brokers (HK) Global Limited, said, “DDB’s unparallelled creativity and strategic brilliance truly distinguished them in the pitch process and it is with immense excitement that we move forward with them. At Tiger Brokers, we believe in pushing boundaries and redefining possibilities, and with DDB by our side, I am confident that we will create ground-breaking campaigns that not only captivate our audience, but also redefine the landscape of our industry.”

Meanwhile, Koman Ko, managing partner at DDB Group Hong Kong, stated, “We immediately respected Tiger Brokers’ visionary approach and ambition, as well as their collaborative style of working. We can’t wait to get started and help bring Tiger Trade’s superior investment experiences to more Hong Kong people, helping them reach their full potential as investors.”