As we enter the midway point of the year, we’ve seen an influx of creative campaigns from local brands amid changing consumption patterns. As a member of the marketing community in Hong Kong, it’s heartening to see our fellow marketers up their game and embrace the tough competition with out-of-the-box ideas.
That’s why it was great to celebrate these exceptional works at our prestigious Agency of the Year Awards 2024, where we packed over 330 agency leads and marketers into the Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel to recognise the most innovative and creative campaigns within the region.
And behind these exceptional campaigns, we explored the changing dynamics between brands and agencies in recent years. One prominent trend that has emerged recently is the growing preference of brands for project-based collaborations rather than traditional retainer contracts.
In our cover story (page 6), we delve into the challenges and opportunities faced by Hong Kong agencies as they adapt to this changing landscape. We also explore how agencies are adjusting their strategies, building agile teams, and fostering stronger client relationships to thrive in this new era of project-focused partnerships.
Meanwhile, in the digital era where agencies are investing more in new technologies such as AI, we also investigate how brands can navigate the early stages of AI implementation, avoid common pitfalls, and maximise the benefits. Check out the story on page 38.
Despite having a busy work schedule, networking also plays a huge role in the marketing and communications industry. That’s why we were proud to bring back our event The Social Mixer to Hong Kong. It brought together industry leaders and professionals for an evening of meaningful conversations, knowledge sharing, and relationship building.
Last, but not least, we have also highlighted some of the key wins from MARKies Awards 2024, and celebrated the achievements of the marketing community and agency minds behind some of the great campaigns over the past year.
Together, let’s shape the future of marketing and communications, and embrace creativity, innovation, and excellence. We hope you enjoy the edition as much as we have loved putting it together.
To get in touch with our editorial team editorialhk@marketing-interactive.com
For advertising enquiries
Karen Yung, kareny@lighthouse-media.com
Mandy Ma, mandym@marketing-interactive.com
Sally Hui, sallyh@lighthouse-media.com
Lighthouse Independent Media Ltd. Printed in Hong Kong by Apex Print Limited. For subscriptions, contact circulations at +852 2861 1882 or email subscriptions@marketing-interactive. com. COPYRIGHT & REPRINTS: All material printed in Marketing is protected under the copyright act. All rights reserved. No material may be reproduced in part or in whole without the prior written consent of the publisher and copyright holder. Permission may be requested through the Hong Kong office. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in Marketing are not necessarily the views of the publisher. Hong Kong: Lighthouse Independent Media Ltd, publisher of Marketing magazine 15/F, Golden Star Building, 20-24 Lockhart Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2861 1882 Fax: +852 2861 1336 Singapore: Lighthouse Independent Media Pte Ltd 100C Pasir Panjang Road, #05-01 See Hoy Chan Hub, Singapore 118519 Tel: +65 6423 0329 Fax: +65 6423 0117 To subscribe to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, go to: www.marketing-interactive.com
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Karen Wong Deputy Editor, North Asia
What’s on?
Content360 Hong Kong
What: A conference that aims to foster discussions on the diverse aspects of content marketing, including the latest content trends, content creation processes, AI-led disruption, and greater integration with Mainland China.
Where: Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel
When: 26 June
Marketing Events Awards
What: From large-scale festivals that inspire and entertain to experiential campaigns that ignite emotions and spark conversations, Marketing Events Awards sets new benchmarks for innovation and excellence in the dynamic events marketing industry.
Where: Kowloon Shangri-La
When: 11 July
“This survey reflects the changing media landscape and offers a glimpse into the emerging Generation Alpha, who will shape the future of media consumption”
Florence Wong, CEO of OMD HK
GEN Z IN HK SEEKS LOCALISED CONTENT; TENDS TO SAFEGUARD DATA PRIVACY
Hong Kong’s Gen Zs rely on social media as search engines as they seek localised video content, spend considerable time on music, and actively safeguard their data privacy, a report has found.
Conducted by OMD Hong Kong, the latest “Youngster Report” is based on a survey of 302 Hong Kong residents aged between 13 and 24. It aims to explore the media habits of Hong Kong’s Gen Z and the next Gen Alpha in terms of social media usage, video consumption, music preferences, gaming trends, and data privacy concerns.
The survey shows the significance of social media to Gen Z, and the diverse choices on social platforms. With Instagram taking the lead, Gen Z starts to explore its new platform Threads, and then turns to Chinese social media platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu for entertainment.
Brands should leverage messaging solutions such as Messenger, WhatsApp, or Instagram for personalised conversations. They should re-target non-converting audiences to cope with the youngsters’ changing media consumption habits, said the survey.
Florence Wong, CEO of OMD HK, said: “With the release of the third wave of the youngster survey, OMD HK continues its commitment to providing valuable insights into the media habits of Hong Kong’s youth. This survey reflects the changing media landscape and offers a glimpse into the emerging Generation Alpha, who will shape the future of media consumption.”
• Gen Z in Hong Kong predominantly streams video content on smartphones and smart TVs, preferably on YouTube, with 52% of their viewing time spent on smartphones.
• Youngsters are also attracted to video-focused platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and X/Twitter. Meanwhile, the popularity for Chinese social platforms Douyin and Xiaohongshu has declined.
• Youngsters exhibit a higher likelihood of subscribing to cheaper ad-supported subscriptions for smooth user experiences. As such, brands should consider connected TV and platforms such as Bilibili to reach younger audiences.
• Daily music listening time among the respondents has increased to 1.9 hours compared to the previous wave. Pop stands out as the most popular genre.
• When it comes to gaming trends, the average mobile gaming time has slightly dropped from 2.3 hours to two hours, though it remains dominant. The report argues it is likely due to increased post-pandemic physical meet-ups.
• Female teens are increasing their presence in gaming and outspending males. Male youngsters prefer intense multiplayer games, while females gravitate towards immersive gaming experiences.
• Both male and female youngsters take proactive measures to protect their data, such as using ad blockers, declining cookies, and utilising VPNs, with males being more adverse to ads and having a higher VPN usage.
Source: OMD HK’s “Youngster Report”.
AD WATCH 廣告點評
Christopher Lee Chief creative officer Publicis Groupe Hong Kong
HOT: MCDONALD’S HK – A THEMATIC POP-UP STORE AT COMPLEXCON HK
This was truly pop culture and food culture all rolled into one. While brand collaborations are not “new” news, it’s always good to see brands being able to burst into popular culture and create entertaining content that people will actually talk about.
This collaboration between McDonald’s Hong Kong and Japanese graphic artist Verdy introduced an exclusive collection of merchandise within a pop-up store and, simultaneously, drove sales of McDonald’s products – from McNuggets to Hotcakes. What’s more, it was truly onbrand, creating more “feel good” moments for Hongkongers to enjoy.
NOT:
HEINZ & MATTEL: HEINZ CLASSIC BARBIECUE SAUCE
Here’s another brand collaboration, but with a different effect. There’s no denying this collaboration was fun, transforming an iconic product from red to pink and changing its name, yet retaining the essence of the well-known Heinz barbecue sauce bottle.
However, timing was the issue. This would’ve been a much stronger idea if it was launched during last year’s Barbie craze. While visually interesting and beautifully done, it feels like another gimmick.
We may argue that some ideas can be fun, quick, pop-culture hits, but if brand collaborations are now arguably at saturation point, how do you make brand collaborations stand out in the crowd if there isn’t a unique point of view shared by both brands?
How are HK agencies holding up with more brands preferring projects over retainer contracts?
Retainer or project-based work? What works better? While both types of partnerships bring different merits to the table, retainer work generally allows for agencies to plan long term, and for clients to build up their brands with one core team.
However, in the current economic climate, where businesses are faced with volatility, marketing dollars are no doubt being impacted. This then gives rise to more short-term projects in preference to long-term ones to ensure a more efficient spend.
A looming question remains: How are Hong Kong agencies sustaining themselves in a project- based agency landscape? Karen Wong turned to industry players to explore more.
Amid economic uncertainty where marketing budgets are tight, Hong Kong clients are opting for short- term projects instead of retainer contracts (where agencies are hired to deliver creative and media services in the long term).
This phenomenon aligns with the fact that Hong Kong brands have been quite conservative about the future growth of ad spending in the city. Hong Kong’s ad spending in general for January and February this year has dropped slightly from last year to reach HK$4.4 billion, representing a 5% YOY decrease, according to admanGo’s latest ad spending report.
Various favourable factors led to a significant increase in ad spending in JanFeb 2023, which made the 5% drop in Jan-Feb 2024 inevitable due to the local economy’s recovery being hampered, the report said.
Observations from industry players
Industry players MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to also observed the increasing trend of clients hiring agencies on a project basis in Hong Kong, with this shift likely to stay.
Vin Ng, director, Spread-it, said a primary driver behind this phenomenon is the pursuit of cost-effectiveness.
“In the ongoing process of (the) market recovery, clients are seeking greater control over their budgets. Opting for project-based engagements enables clients to define the project scope and negotiate a fixed price, which often proves more economical compared to monthly retainer fees,” he said.
While there is no YOY data specifically illustrating this shift, it is evident there is a demand for greater flexibility and better budget control, according to Maggie Wong, CEO of VML Hong Kong.
Additionally, the rise of in-housing on the client side has also impacted the client-agency dynamic, she added.
“The shift in internal capabilities may result in a reduced need for long-term, retainer-based agency partnerships, but rather an increased preference for project-based engagements for specialised expertise or specific campaigns,” she said.
On the media front where agencies are often signed up on a retainer basis, the average contract duration is generally becoming shorter,
despite dentsu Hong Kong having partnered with most of its clients for over three years, according to its managing director Wai Chung Au.
“This reflects a broader trend where brands, facing a volatile economic climate, are seeking increased flexibility to adapt swiftly to market changes. CMOs are under considerable pressure to perform and respond dynamically to fluctuating market demands,” he said.
“Opting for project-based engagements or shorter contract durations may allow them more budgetary discretion and minimise longterm commitments.,”
While the debate between retainer and project-based models continues, Andreas Krasser, CEO of DDB HK, said it is important to consider the benefits of retainer relationships.
For DDB Hong Kong, although the split between retainer and project-based revenue hasn’t seen a significant shift in recent years, it has observed a trend towards much smaller projects in Hong Kong due to tighter marketing budget controls, and an increased focus on short-term objectives, he said
“Despite these shifts, I sincerely believe that retainer relationships offer undeniable advantages. They foster stronger partnerships,
mutual respect, and trust between marketers and agencies, which ultimately leads to more effective, long-term brand building and campaign work.”
How are agencies sustaining their businesses in a project-based agency landscape?
Within a project-based agency environment, how agencies can better sustain their business is the million-dollar question.
One of the ways is by diversifying the client base to help mitigate the risks associated with a project-based model, said Florence Kong, founder and managing director of We Glow HK.
“Agencies should strive to attract clients from various industries, sectors, and geographic regions to ensure a steady flow of projects. This reduces dependency on a single client, industry, or region and provides stability for the agency,” she said.
Agencies should also leverage their existing client relationships to identify upselling and cross-selling opportunities, she added.
“By understanding the client’s broader needs and offering additional services or expanding the scope of existing projects,
agencies can increase revenue and enhance client satisfaction,” she said.
“This can include upselling services such as social content creation, crafting influencer marketing campaigns, event activation, or providing other complementary offerings that align with the client’s marketing and advertising goals.”
Furthermore, agencies should also consider building recurring revenue streams within the project-based agency landscape, said VML HK’s Wong.
This can be achieved by offering maintenance / support contracts, ensuring ongoing assistance and updates for implemented solutions, she said.
“Additionally, adopting a project retainer model allows us to maintain a continuous pipeline of work with clients, ensuring a steady flow of projects and revenue.”
From a media point of view, dentsu’s Au said retaining a stable team that understands clients’ KPIs and ways of working is key.
“Because by having a stable and close working relationship, we bring knowledge and
efficiency to the time-poor marketing team that will boost their effectiveness.”
On the other hand, DDB’s Krasser said without the stability and certainty of a retainer agreement, it gets really difficult for an agency to predict revenue and workloads, which in turn means that balancing resources and cash flow becomes a tough task.
“Usually, a heavy shift towards a projectbased model means that agencies will be quite conservative in terms of investing in new capabilities, moving towards leaner structures to maintain margins,” he said.
When it comes to project work, clients theoretically run the risk of resources not always being available – at least not on an ad hoc basis, he added.
“In reality, however, agencies will bend over backwards to accommodate project requests, moving people around, and assigning whoever is currently available, adding freelancers, etc., all risking inefficiencies and maybe even a diminished final output.”
SNAPPED 快拍
Hysan’s “The Colours of Causeway Bay” Exhibition
DATE: 20 May – 19 July
VENUE: Unit 304, Lee Garden One
1. Hysan unveiled “The Colours of Causeway Bay” exhibition to celebrate the 100-year story of Lee Gardens, and revisit its milestones in Causeway Bay’s historical journey.
2. The public is welcome to view Lee Gardens’ development over the past 100 years which is around five themes – legacy, culture, dream, progression, and connection.
3. The exhibition features a series of beautiful hand-drawn postcards designed by renowned local artist Vanessa Leung.
4. The exhibition includes a wall whereby the public can leave notes to express their feelings for the area, and how they think the precinct can be further developed.
100% Doraemon & Friends Tour
DATE: 13 July – 4 August
VENUE: Avenue of Stars and Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade
1. After a 12-year hiatus, AllRightsReserved and Fujiko Pro will join hands again to present this exhibition to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Doraemon’s creator Fujiko F Fujio.
2. The massive 100% Doraemon Outdoor Exhibited Area will feature the world’s tallest 12-metre inflatable sculpture of Doraemon.
3. The huge Doraemon is accompanied by 34 1:1 life-sized sculptures of Doraemon from the manga and animation series, as well as 10 of Doraemon’s friends and family.
4. The “100% Avenue of Stars” will pay tribute to the Hong Kong film industry, with Doraemon and friends gracing the iconic Avenue of Stars with comic-style standees of 13 Hong Kong film practitioners.
Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races
DATE: 15 – 16 June
VENUE: Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade
1. The races will see over 170 teams and 4,000 dragon boat athletes converge on the iconic Hong Kong skyline along the stunning Victoria Harbour to compete for glory.
2. Visitors will be invited to explore the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui and capture memorable moments at time-limited photo spots, featuring newly designed LINE FRIENDS installations.
3. To drum up excitement and spread the exhilarating vibe of the races, the HKTB will stage a festival-themed drone show on the Dragon Boat festival and a pyrotechnic display on the first evening of the event.
4. The HKTB will also offer free ice-cream to visitors along the Wan Chai Harbourfront before the performances.
One Love Asia Festival Hong Kong 2024
DATE: 29 June - 1 July
VENUE: AsiaWorld-Expo, Runway 11
1. Following its launch in Singapore last year, the mega music and lifestyle extravaganza One Love Asia Festival makes its debut in Hong Kong this year.
2. Spanning three days, the festival will feature an exceptional line-up of local and international artists.
3. With 15 acts taking the stage, and each delivering 40 minutes of uninterrupted entertainment, attendees are in for an unforgettable experience.
4. Beyond the music, audiences will be able to enjoy a diverse range of entertainment, along with tantalising cuisine.
GOLD SPONSOR
The ongoing economic uncertainty has hit the local advertising scene hard, with industry players striving to put out their best work with tightened marketing budgets. With the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, the challenges have become even harder to tackle.
However, our fellow agency leads and marketers have still managed to brave the storms and sustain their businesses.
As such, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s Agency of the Year Awards was back again to celebrate the remarkable stories of agencies that have gone above and beyond to deliver exceptional results for their clients.
Judged by an independent panel of esteemed, client-side marketers, the awards focused on the overall performance of an agency, rather than a specific campaign.
Agencies were assessed on a range of criteria: performance, product, people, and perspectives. Participating agencies had to showcase a steadfast commitment to excellence – from creative brilliance and strategic acumen to innovative technologies and boundarypushing campaigns.
With 34 categories recognising various specialisations, all agencies, large and small, had the chance to shine. We would also like to thank our 20 judges who dedicated their time and effort in crowning our winners for 2024, as well as AnyMind Group for sponsoring the event.
EVA WONG Head of Merchant Marketing American Express
KIM PLAGGENBURG
Marketing Director Feather & Bone
PECKY SZE
Marketing Director Amoy Food
TERRY TONG
Associate Director, Global Digital Marketing GP Batteries
EMILY WONG
Cluster Director of Marketing Communications Hyatt Regency
MABEL LEUNG
Head of Marketing, Quick Service Restaurants and Catering Services
Maxim’s Caterers
YVONNE LEUNG Director of Customer Transformation & Growth Bupa Hong Kong
AMANDA CHANG Head of Marketing Guardforce Group
JENIFER MCCOMBIE Chief Marketing & Communications Officer & Client Services Strategy JEB International
ELLEN TSANG
Head of Marketing, Asia ex-Japan Pictet Asset Management
VIVIAN LEE
Group General Manager, Corporate Marketing Communications & Sustainability Sino Group
ELVIS YAN Chief Marketing Officer UA Finance
MATTHEW LI Head of Brand & Marketing Decathlon Hong Kong
ANDREW YEUNG
Assistant General Manager (Promotions & Marketing) Harbour City Estates
PY LIU Regional General Manager K-Swiss Global Brands
SALLY WONG
Marketing Director Royal Medic (Holdings)
MAGGIE FEI Head of Marketing Lan Kwai Fong Group
ANSON SHUM Vice President Marketing SAUVEREIGN
LUTRICIA KWOK Head of Marketing Visa Hong Kong & Macau
ALICE AU
Group Director Digital Marketing Wharf Hotels
Content Marketing Agency of the Year
GOLD Cedar Hong Kong Omnicom
PRIZM Group Independent
Group
SOCIETY IPG Mediabrands
Influencer Agency of the Year
GroupM – GOAT GroupM
LOCAL HERO FABCOM Independent
NARROW THE WAY THAT LEADS TO life & li vi n g a d vertising
HONESTY
HUMOUR
HUMANITY
Event Agency of the Year
GOLD LOCAL HERO
Uniplan Hong Kong
Independent
EX-R Consulting
EX-R International
Occasions Asia Pacific SILVER
BRONZE
Occasions Asia Pacific
Best Client Acquisition Agency of the Year
GOLD
Dentsu Hong Kong
Dentsu Hong Kong BRONZE SOCIETY IPG Mediabrands SILVER
PHD Hong Kong
Omnicom Media Group
LOCAL HERO
DigiSalad
Independent
Best Client Retention Agency of the Year
DDB Group Hong Kong Omnicom
EssenceMediacom Hong Kong WPP BRONZE LOCAL HERO FABCOM Independent
Boutique Agency of the Year
GOLD LOCAL HERO
MGV Innovation
Vizz Digital Group
WHAZZUP Independent
The Bridge Agency Independent BRONZE CM BINARY Independent
Brand & Design Consultancy of the Year
DigiSalad Independent
Analytics Agency of the Year
Creative Agency of the Year
GOLD
Saatchi & Saatchi
Publicis Groupe
The Bees Group
Dentsu Hong Kong SILVER LOCAL HERO
Dentsu Hong Kong
CRM & Loyalty Agency of the Year
CRO Agency of the Year
GOLD LOCAL HERO
DigiSalad
Dentsu Hong Kong
Dentsu Hong Kong
Independent BRONZE
Digital Zoo
Digital Agency of the Year
PHD Hong Kong
Omnicom Media Group
SILVER
OMD Hong Kong
Omnicom Media Group
Dentsu Hong Kong
Dentsu Hong Kong
LOCAL HERO
DigiSalad
Independent
E-Commerce Agency of the Year
GOLD
OMD Hong Kong
Omnicom Media Group
B2C Agency of the Year
GOLD
PHD Hong Kong
Omnicom Media Group
Dentsu Hong Kong
Dentsu Hong Kong
Independent SILVER
BRONZE LOCAL HERO
FABCOM
SILVER
Mindshare Hong Kong GroupM
BRONZE LOCAL HERO
DigiSalad
Independent
Full-Service Agency of the Year
DDB Group Hong
Independent Agency of the Year
Industry Specialist Agency of the Year
GOLD LOCAL HERO PRIZM Group
Independent
B2B Agency of the Year
GOLD
Dentsu Hong Kong
Dentsu Hong Kong
Zlashy Independent
DigiSalad Independent
SILVER LOCAL HERO
FABCOM
Independent
BRONZE Assembly Stagwell Inc.
Innovative Agency of the Year
GOLD
Saatchi & Saatchi
Publicis Groupe
OMD Hong Kong
Omnicom Media Group SILVER
Dentsu Hong Kong
Dentsu Hong Kong
LOCAL HERO
Narrow Door
The Bees Group
Integrated Marketing Agency of the Year
GOLD
Mindshare Hong Kong GroupM
SILVER
PHD Hong Kong
Omnicom Media Group
BRONZE
Saatchi & Saatchi
Publicis Groupe
MarTech Agency of the Year
GOLD LOCAL HERO PRIZM Group
Independent
Media Agency of the Year
GOLD
Dentsu Hong Kong
Dentsu Hong Kong
SILVER FABCOM
Independent
BRONZE Cymballe
Independent
SILVER
PHD Hong Kong
Omnicom Media Group
BRONZE Zenith HK
Publicis Media HK
Performance Marketing Agency of the Year
Mindshare Hong Kong
Dentsu Hong Kong
Dentsu Hong Kong
GroupM BRONZE Assembly Stagwell Inc.
Production Agency of the Year
GOLD LOCAL HERO
DigiSalad Independent
Rabbit Studio Independent
Wowwowtank Independent
Programmatic Agency of the Year
GOLD LOCAL HERO
FABCOM
Independent
Dentsu Hong Kong
Dentsu Hong Kong
Omnicom Media Group SILVER
BRONZE
Omnicom Media Group
Public Relations Agency of the Year
GOLD LOCAL HERO
Occasions Asia Pacific
Occasions Asia Pacific
SILVER
Edelman Hong Kong
Edelman
BRONZE
The Bridge Agency
Independent
Search Agency of the Year
GOLD LOCAL HERO FABCOM Independent
Social Media Agency of the Year
GOLD LOCAL HERO
Rabbit Studio Independent
Omnicom Media Group
Omnicom Media Group
BRONZE Digital Zoo Independent
PRIZM Group Independent
BRONZE We Glow HK Independent SILVER
Best Agency Culture
Best Client-Agency Partnership
Dentsu Hong
BRONZE
Agency Leader of the Year
GOLD
Dentsu Hong Kong
Dentsu Hong Kong
Wai-Chung Au
Managing Director, Media
Rising Star (age below 30)
GOLD
PHD Hong Kong
Omnicom Media Group
Christopher Lui
Strategy Director
Agency Team of the Year
GOLD
OMD Hong Kong
Omnicom Media Group
SILVER SOCIETY IPG Mediabrands
Penny Chow
Managing Director
SILVER Spotlighters
Independent
Agnes Liu
Senior Manager and Founding Member
SILVER FABCOM Independent
BRONZE
Edelman Hong Kong
Edelman
Delicia Tan
CEO, Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area
BRONZE
Edelman Hong Kong
Edelman
Carson Ho
Art Director
BRONZE DigiSalad Independent
Local Hero of the Year DigiSalad
DigiSalad was crowned Local Hero of the Year with seven Local Hero awards, as well as four gold and four bronze awards. The digital agency, which is eight years old, specialises in user experience and user interface design for different digital solutions. Some of its recurring clients include China Mobile, Swire Properties, and UA Finance.
Among the campaigns DigiSalad has delivered for its clients, the one crafted for the entertainment company Namco was exceptionally remarkable.
DigiSalad helped the brand develop a mobile app with a bold and playful visual style. The agency also created animated
illustrations and branded graphics to establish a strong and dynamic visual identity for the brand. Furthermore, DigiSalad took a user-centred approach to designing the digital products, which involved a process of research, prototyping, testing, and refining designs to create a seamless and effective user experience.
As an experienced digital marketing agency, DigiSalad offers a range of development opportunities and incentives to support its employees. This includes on-the-job training and personal growth initiatives, knowledge-sharing sessions led by management, as well as performance-based bonuses.
Overall Agency of the Year Dentsu Hong Kong
Walking away with the prestigious Overall Agency of the Year was dentsu Hong Kong which scored the highest number of accumulated points with three gold, seven silver and two bronze awards.
Dentsu has embraced a business-to-businessto-society model, viewing it as a force that can drive growth and positive social impact. The agency believes that by prioritising what is beneficial for its business, its clients, and society, it can create a powerful impact that drives positive change.
With its integrated growth solutions, dentsu Hong Kong has also won 16 new clients across various sectors, including the Hong Kong Tourism Board, AIA, foodpanda, Carlsberg, and Swire Properties.
In addition to its overall client work, dentsu Hong Kong's "AIA Alta Launch Campaign" for AIA Hong Kong was particularly noteworthy. The campaign aimed to promote AIA Alta, an exclusive membership programme designed to provide one-stop quality wealth and wellbeing services to its high-net-worth customers.
From programme packaging to positioning, campaign, and programme sustaining, dentsu Hong Kong positioned Alta as a market-first solution to help customers achieve an optimal balance between financial, physical, and emotional wellbeing.
As part of the campaign, dentsu Hong Kong included an array of elements, including a brand song performed by local singer and actor Aarif Lee, a brand video, a product video, targeted digital content, large-scale
outdoor advertising, as well as offline and online live performances at malls.
Beyond campaign work, dentsu Hong Kong places a strong emphasis on people management. It believes the growth and development of its 250 employees drives the agency's overall growth. As such, it is focused on maximising the potential of its talent through strategic investments in its people.
To attract talent with new and different skills, it has identified a group of dentsu ambassadors from senior leaders to middle managers to represent the agency by speaking at industry shows, university talks, and organising office tours.
Furthermore, it recognises the importance of cultivating an environment that supports its employees. Therefore, the agency focuses on key areas such as work-life balance, offering an additional 10 company holiday days beyond contractual annual leave, as well as three extra wellness days off.
The agency has also taken proactive steps to share its perspectives and insights, launching initiatives such as a new growth solution with a DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) focus, monthly client newsletters, and regularly publishing thought leadership content.
WhatsApp’s latest AI ad capabilities: A knife in the hands of business?
WhatsApp is integrating an AI-driven ad targeting programme for businesses, and according to Tech Crunch, it is testing this ability with select merchants in India and Singapore, with an expansion to Brazil also underway.
As part of the new offering, WhatsApp is also integrating AI to help businesses create ads on Facebook and Instagram, reminding customers they left an item in their cart or offering a discount for a purchase they’ve been waiting to make.
The AI tools can help businesses on WhatsApp better assist customers and help them discover new products they may be interested in, and respond to the most popular questions businesses receive on WhatsApp.
Clearly, the move is to draw out ad revenue on the widely used platform which has in recent years embraced features such as payment and customer services.
In a blog post published last month by customer engagement platform Braze, it reported that Meta’s WhatsApp messaging platform serves more than two billion users across 180-plus countries, and since Meta opened up WhatsApp to marketing use cases in 2022, it’s become a go-to for brands, allowing them to reach consumers where they are with impactful marketing messages.
With Meta integrating AI-driven ads to the platform, WhatsApp’s deliverability and how user engagement works on the platform will undoubtedly evolve.
Industry players MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to say the move clearly depicts the importance of conversational commerce. Serm Teck Choon, co-founder and CEO of Antsomi, said more and more interactions have shifted to messaging platforms such as WhatsApp which offer brands and consumers a more direct way to communicate compared to social media.
Moreover, some people have also taken a step back from social posting over the past few years, which ultimately means, Meta needs to create new revenue streams apart from Facebook and Instagram.
“WhatsApp is naturally the next gold mine for it to develop the next revenue stream as it’s the leading messaging platform in many countries such as the US,” he said.
The new offering is also very likely to benefit businesses that focus on direct-toconsumers conversions.
“These businesses, which have been or are planning to implement chatbots or an automated customer service, can leverage the new AI tools to provide a personalised and
efficient customer service, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty,” he added.
Small business owners are likely to be the first to embrace Meta’s AI capabilities for creating and delivering targeted ads on WhatsApp, said Manuel Denoual, general manager of NP Digital Singapore.
“With limited resources and precious time, they will be eager to let Meta’s AI manage their ads, allowing them to focus on scaling their business,” he said.
This is, of course, assuming that Meta delivers on its promises of efficiency and ROI, and there is no significant backlash from Whatsapp users. If these conditions are met, medium-to-large businesses will likely follow suit, using AI-powered ads to drive their growth, provided it aligns with their brand safety guidelines.
“Long gone are the days of ‘No ads! No games! No gimmicks!’ from WhatsApp’s cofounder Brian Acton. It’s time for Meta to cash in and accelerate the monetisation from the world’s most popular messaging app, and its most expensive acquisition to date,” Denoual said.
What to look out for
Ajay Mohan, founder and director of consultancy Enfactum, said that with the new offering, the onus of managing the customers will ultimately lie with a business.
He said: “WhatsApp advertising will be a knife in the hands of the business. How they use it will determine their business success or brand failure. Do they add value to customers or become a nuisance?”
Ultimately, if a business user does not respect customer boundaries, it can lead to a negative customer experience and a bad experience.
Mohan, who also works with brands that use WhatsApp for channel communication in India and Malaysia, said the choice of test markets is interesting as it allows Meta to explore the possibilities across diverse, but strong WhatsApp markets.
Denoual agreed that Meta’s decision to double down on targeted advertising on WhatsApp has the potential to alienate a large portion of its users who may find these ads intrusive or spammy, regardless of how targeted they are.
“We can expect Meta’s product team to place a strong emphasis on the user experience in the months leading up to the global roll out, but the risk remains significant,” he said.
“Businesses that choose to embark on this journey will need to adopt a test-andlearn approach and closely monitor the performance of Meta’s AI and how their ads resonate with their target audiences and future customers.”
Soumik Chakraborty, educator and digital consultant (Singapore Polytechnic), said that to safeguard themselves, businesses should be explicit in their permission for WhatsApp marketing – not just use the website or permission check boxes as a process.
“Asking explicitly and setting expectations would go a long way,” he said.
Last month, Meta also announced its expansion of generative AI ad products to include tools that can create full image variations of original ad creatives and overlay text atop them. Meta also launched an image expansion feature which can adjust creative assets to fit different aspect ratios across multiple surfaces, making it available across Reels and Feed on Instagram and Facebook. The offering also works with text overlays on ads.
Simultaneously, the tech giant is also testing the ability for generated text to reflect a brand’s voice and tone. This will be based on previous campaigns and text input. The feature will soon be built with Meta Llama 3.
According to industry experts MARKETINGINTERACTIVE spoke to, for brands and agency partners that actively use Meta’s social media platforms, its new GenAI features for ad creation will be a “welcome addition” to the existing creative solutions tools available as long as it is used smartly.
Bridging connections and building conversations
There is no doubt the marketing role has become more complicated than ever, especially when it comes to social media. From juggling algorithms, battling for attention in crowded feeds, and constantly adapting to the whims of platforms and consumers, the landscape and tools for success are constantly changing and evolving.
That’s why MARKETING-INTERACTIVE brought back its networking event – “The Social Mixer: Bridging connections and building conversations” – to Hong Kong for our busy marketers.
The event saw over 80 excited marketers and industry professionals gather at Harlan’s Bar and Restaurant on 24 May to connect with one another and gain insights into the latest social media marketing trends from industry experts.
Kicking off the event was a panel discussion with Tony Ng, founder and creative director of DigiSalad, and two senior clientside marketers, Tina Chao, chief marketing and digital customer experience officer at McDonald’s Hong Kong, and Lisa Leung, director of marketing and brand partnerships at Starbucks APAC.
Moderated by Karen Wong, deputy editor of North Asia at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, the panel featured a conversation on the latest social media trends, CRM strategies for brands engaging target audiences, and tactics for Hong Kong marketers navigating economic uncertainty.
By now, we may all agree that social media has become an integral part of a brand’s marketing mix in the new digital age. However, how brands can stand out from the crowd with their campaigns is still a big question within the ever-evolving social landscape.
Apart from being timely and keeping up with the latest trends, Starbucks’ Leung said when developing social media campaigns, it really depends on the objective behind each campaign, as the strategy behind every post on various social media channels can differ, be it LinkedIn, TikTok or Instagram.
“It’s about understanding the local culture and understanding how you can successfully cut through because we are bombarded by so many messages every day,” she said.
“So, every brand is essentially promoting their product, maybe in a similar way. So, it’s about how the emotions a brand creates can
really touch people, and help them remember the messages.
“Subsequently, brands really need to weave their messages authentically on a social platform rather than just pushing out what they want to say.”
In a crowded social media landscape, understanding the consumer psychology of how they use social channels is key to engaging a wider audience. This was the approach leveraged by McDonald’s Hong Kong on its bold coffee “retirement” announcement last September.
Given that coffee is not the core product for the brand, the strategy aimed to be unmissable and become the talk of the town, so instead of using a large quantity of channels and smaller placements, McDonald’s opted for maximum impact in a timely manner, according to Chao.
“It’s about discovering … when people lose something, they will miss it. So, we wanted to leverage the unique features of social media, particularly Facebook, which is where people will look for news, to announce the news,” she said.
By doing so, the announcement broke the brand’s record of its Facebook engagements GOLD SPONSOR EVENT SPONSORS
since the account was created – “Everybody was saying: ‘How dare you just take away my beloved coffee?’ and they were requesting not to take down their coffee. A lot of conversations came up from that. And then the courage is about not being too afraid of those comments.”
With the emergence of new social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin, brands can struggle with a fragmented social media landscape. To retain consumers in the right way, it’s important to adopt the right customer relationship management (CRM) strategies.
On the agency front, DigiSalad’s Ng said that brands should first select a CRM platform – such as Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics and HubSpot– and then consolidate all their customer data across various social media platforms and different touch-points into a single pool. Once the data is unified, marketers can segment their audience and send personalised marketing offers to their target customers.
With its own AI and machine learning system, Ng said DigiSalad can help brands predict customer journeys by analysing individual behaviours and preferences. With these data-driven insights, brands can then
send personalised and unique offers tailored to their target audience, he added.
A successful CRM platform can also be achieved by using digital apps as a tool to derive first-party data from consumers. Taking McDonald’s app, for example, Chao said the brand can understand consumers’ preferences and behaviours based on their purchases on the app.
“This is a way for us to really engage with our consumers. We can develop a brand map with them, make use of their preferences, and push the preferred items to them. So, if they are a beef burger lovers, we will be able to give them more offers of the beef burger,” she said.
Starbucks’ Leung suggested brands should equip themselves with a customer data platform – “I think essentially, you need to understand what your customer segments are, what their buying habits are, why they are still coming back to your brand, even though we don’t use it practically for marketing.”
Overseeing the APAC market, Leung said one of the challenges the Starbucks brand had experienced was creating personalised content on various social channels for different markets.
“For example, Reels are no longer new, there are new trends out there and audiences in Hong Kong consume things in a very different way to how Thailand audiences do. So, we just need to be up on the trends and understand the latest changes for us to tap into these spaces smartly,” she said.
Meanwhile, McDonald’s Chao believes in the strategy of “less is more” by resisting the temptation to put out content unless it’s necessary to do so. “It’s really about being confident and believing in your strategies, and being able to execute them with precise positions.”
With potential economic downturns looming – where marketing budgets may become tight – brands may need to look at their current campaigns and see how they can reach and do more by producing less, she added. Through a test-and-learn approach, marketers may find that producing less does not necessarily lead to a reduced reach.
Meanwhile, Leung said while it may be easy for brands to reduce branding efforts and focus on tactical social media, marketers should always remind themselves of the importance of investing in long-term brand-building.
To liven up the event, an interactive online quiz with tailored questions was played following the insightful panel discussion. After the game, marketers socialised over drinks and refreshments. The three-hour gathering concluded with a prize presentation to three lucky draw winners.
MARKETING-INTERACTIVE would like to thank its gold sponsor DigiSalad; event sponsors AnyMind, Assembly, Digital Zoo, Globall Concept, NoTwo, and SleekFlow; and partners The Singleton, and Peninsula Merchandising who made this night possible.
How brands can yield better results during their exploration phase of AI
It’s true that artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, and with its remarkable capabilities and potential, it has captured the attention of companies across various sectors, leading them to invest significantly in AI-powered technologies for marketing purposes.
Despite the rapid advancement of new technologies, some businesses and brands are not quite ready to adopt AI as part of their marketing mix. So, among the many questions: How should they measure ROI when using AI? And is capturing the real value of generative AI proving more challenging than advertisers expected?
Karen Wong turned to industry players and experts to weigh in on how brands can measure the ROI when investing in AI, and what they should bear in mind during their exploration phase of AI.
Generative AI has taken the globe by storm, and more companies are already investing in it for marketing. However, despite many APAC marketers intending to use AI, their readiness, usage, and investment are still in the early stages.
According to WE Communications’ latest “Brands in Motion” report, only 46% of companies are investing to upskill their employees in AI learning and programmes, revealing a vision-action gap. In fact, only 26% of respondents in Singapore say their companies are encouraging personal experimentation and the adoption of AI for work and personal use.
Similarly, in APAC, most brands are still in the exploration phase of applying Gen AI in marketing, according to a 2024 Forrester survey – “The State of Generative AI for Marketing in Asia Pacific”.
The survey found that agencies are more advanced, with 46% already using GenAI compared to 24% of brand marketers.
Furthermore, marketing’s GenAI investment is still low in APAC. Brands and agencies have typically spent less than US$50,000 on GenAI in the past 12 months.
That’s why a GenAI reset is needed, as the initial passion for the new technology is paving the way to second thoughts and recalibrations as brands realise that capturing GenAI’s potential value is harder than expected, according to the McKinsey article: “A Generative AI Reset: Rewiring to Turn Potential into Value in 2024.”
First things first
To begin with, industry players MARKETINGINTERACTIVE spoke to believe that brands should look at how they can start to measure the return on investment of AI.
Vincent Kan, head of digital and GBA practice for PHD Hong Kong, said companies and brands should measure themselves against key performance indicators based on the objectives
they want AI to achieve, including improving efficiency in customer acquisition, retention, business and marketing operations, or achieving positive outcomes such as increased sales.
“While adopting AI may involve a learning curve, continuous monitoring and evaluating the cost-benefit ratio are crucial to understanding the overall return on investment,” Kan said.
He has also witnessed successful cases where clients leverage LLM for social buzz monitoring and insight-generation in marketing planning and performance marketing.
“Clients utilise AI-driven solutions with firstparty data to enhance new customer acquisitions, and agencies internally employ AI for faster and more intelligent reporting,” he added.
Echoing his thoughts was Nathan Petralia, former managing director of Merkle Hong Kong, who said by continuously improving AI models, optimising processes, and leveraging AIdriven insights, companies can enhance their
operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and overall business performance.
However, it is important to note the specific results may vary depending on the industry, use cases, and the effectiveness of the AI implementation.
What else should companies invest in to yield the best results in AI?
Sometimes, the instinct for many people is to calculate the value of AI in terms of human hours saved on existing tasks. However, it provides an incomplete picture and creates the risk of treating the technology purely as a way to save costs and initiate redundancies, said Ruben Schreurs, chief strategy officer, Ebiquity.
“Existing staff can improve the quality of their output significantly, and this is often overlooked as a financial benefit, beyond the mere cost saving,” he said.
Beyond skilled AI technicians and machine models, Petralia said companies should also look to invest in data infrastructure, including data storage, processing capabilities, and data governance. Additionally, data cleaning, validation, and augmentation techniques should be employed to ensure the data used for AI is accurate and representative.
Companies should also invest in ethical and responsible AI practices, including ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability in AI algorithms and decisionmaking processes, he added.
He said companies should invest in processes and resources for ongoing model
training, monitoring, and updating. “This ensures that AI models stay up-to-date, accurate, and effective in delivering the desired outcomes,” he said.
In terms of talent development, PHD’s Kan said in addition to investing in techfocused individuals, companies should offer comprehensive training across all levels of the organisation to enhance the understanding of the AI application’s processes and value.
Furthermore, creating channels for cross-functional teams, especially those on the front line, to provide feedback on AI implementation from a business perspective is essential, he added.
JUDGES
KAREN KANG
Marketing & Communication Director Cartier
QUEENIE LAM Head of Custome Marketing & CRM FWD Life Insurance Company (Bermuda)
MAY LOK
Head of Marketing Hung's Food Group
JEFFERY LIU
Marketing Director Mentholatum (China) Pharmaceutical
RITA FAN
Head of Marketing – Ice Cream & Chilled Businesses Nestlé Hong Kong
FIONA TIN Head of Marketing CHANEL Hong Kong and Macau
ELAINE TAI
Regional Marketing Head GEOX Asia Pacific
SUPRIYA CHAVAN
Marketing Director - APAC Colgate-Palmolive
ERIC THAIN Director, Brand & Customer HK Express
BEVERLY MA Head of Marketing Jebsen Consumer Products Co.
LEWIS AU Marketing Director, Diageo Brands Moët Hennessy Diageo Hong Kong & Macau
ANGEL TAM Director of Product Marketing Peninsula Merchandising
VANESSA TSANG
Global CRM Strategy Lead Shell
VIRGINIA TAI Vice President - Marketing Kao Corporation
IGOR LAU Head of Marketing Mox Bank
JACQUELINE CHOI
Chief Officer, Group Marketing Prudential plc
AMY LEE
Group Director of Marketing Sino Hotels & Fullerton Hotels and Resorts
KIM TSE
Assistant General Manager Dah Chong Hong Holdings
HILDA CHAN Head of Marketing Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation
HAROLD WEGHORST
Global Vice President Marketing & Branding Lenzing AG
KATELYN JIANG Head of Marketing APAC MSCI
JANICE LEUNG
Director, Head of Brand Communications and Employee Engagement Ronald Lu & Partners (RLP Asia)
JASON KWOK Head of Marketing Sony
ROSE YEUNG
Marketing Director Fairwood Holdings
MONICA CHUNG
Head of Personal Banking Marketing, Wealth and Personal Banking HSBC Hong Kong
KAYLEY HUI
Marketing Director Mannings HK, Macau and Mainland China
KAREN WOO
General Manager – Branding and Communications MTR Corporation
AMY TING
AVP - Marketing, Shangri-La Circle Shangri-La Group
Campaign: Gay Games Hong Kong: A Triumph of Diversity Over Adversity
BRONZE
Brighten Up Workshop
Client: Ngong Ping 360
Campaign: Double Ducks@Ngong Ping 360
BEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
GOLD
DDB Group Hong Kong
Client: McDonald's Hong Kong
Campaign: McDonald's Coffee Retirement
SILVER
CMRS Digital Solutions, Sunny Idea (HK), New Media Group
Client: Hang Seng Bank
Campaign: Preferred Banking –
“Be a Game Changer and ‘Carry’ Yourself!”
BRONZE
Omelette Digital
Client: foodpanda Hong Kong
Campaign: Whenever and Wherever, pandamart can always be there
BEST USE OF VENUE
GOLD
DDB Group Hong Kong
Client: McDonald's Hong Kong
Campaign: The McNuggets Art World
SILVER
M&C Saatchi Spencer, Group M, Artitect
Client: UA Finance
Campaign: Arm for Hong Kong
BRONZE
Hardchi Creative
Client: Citygate Outlets
Campaign: Beyond Glass
Best of Show – Campaign HSBC Fraud Fair
HSBC Fraud Fair was crowned Best of Show – Campaign at the MARKies Awards, winning three gold awards and one silver. Done in collaboration with creative agency Hungry Digital, PR agency Hill & Knowlton, and media agency OMG Hong Kong, the “HSBC Fraud (呃) Fair” campaign ran from 16 November to 11 December last year.
It was a fraud exhibition that used real-life fraud cases to create relatable experiences. The campaign aimed to generate easily understandable content to raise awareness about fraud prevention, and position the bank as the vanguard of customer protection, thus enhancing trust and brand loyalty.
With the concept of – “When taken to an extreme, anything can become art, including fraud” – the exhibition leveraged wordplay between “art” and “fraud” in English and Cantonese.
The exhibition brought fraud stories to life with 20 installations across nine distinct sections, utilising touchscreens, motion sensors, and audio-visual storytelling to peel back the layers of deception in "Unmasking fraudsters through art”.
The exhibition was also strategically located in AIRSIDE, a new shopping mall in Kai Tak, to ensure maximum footfall.
To promote the exhibition, HSBC employed a multi-channel approach, including placing ads in newspapers, on MTR billboards, bus bodies, cinemas, online video channels, and social media.
Before the event went public, HSBC invited local singer Jackson Wan (尹光) and local DJ Ah Jeng (阿正) to host two press conferences, with the objective of attracting the attention of local media outlets and establishing a stronger connection with audiences.
Additionally, HSBC organised educational tours to engage and inform diverse age groups – from primary and secondary school students to university scholars and elderly citizens – to enhance their awareness and understanding of fraud prevention.
Best of Show – Agency
DDB Group Hong Kong
Meanwhile, the Best of Show – Agency winner DDB Group Hong Kong took home the large haul of four golds, four silvers and one bronze with a number of thought-provoking campaigns.
These included the “The McNuggets Art World”, “McDonald’s Coffee Retirement” and “McDiploma” for McDonald’s Hong Kong; “Little Big Acts” and “Home Is Wherever We Are Together” for McDonald’s Hong Kong X Ronald McDonald House Charities; and the “Octopus – CVS x Easy Earn Campaign” for Octopus Cards.
"The McNuggets Art World" campaign impressed the judges the most among the campaigns DDB Group Hong Kong created. Targeting a mass audience, it aimed to celebrate Chicken McNuggets’ 40th anniversary, and nurture a love for them to younger generations.
With an ambition to make McNuggets the next pop art food icon, the campaign collaborated with Hong Kong-based pop art curator Kevin Poon to enlist a range of multinational artists, including Vandy the Pink, Jon Burgerman, UFO907, Frank Nitty 3000, and Gyuhan Lee. Together, they created an array of McNuggets-inspired artwork.
After that, an exhibition named “The McNuggets Art World” was launched at the Arts Pavilion in West Kowloon
Cultural District from 29 July to 8 August last year. It featured a time tunnel that introduced the history of Chicken McNuggets, a collection of McNuggets-inspired art, and various immersive experiences.
Furthermore, the campaign partnered with The Sandbox to extend the exhibition experience to the metaverse, creating a McNuggets Land that acted as both a virtual exhibition and a playground. By completing various McNuggets-themed games, players had the chance to win a year of free McNuggets.
Additionally, the campaign heavily featured the McNuggets-inspired artwork to drive sales. For example, Poon was featured in a TVC which told the story of a night at the museum with McNuggets artwork coming to life.
The artwork was also featured across different touchpoints of McDonald's – from digital to in-store items. Meanwhile, the packaging for McNuggets was designed by Vandy the Pink, featuring his own creation – the Team McNuggets characters.
