Outstanding PR campaigns reshape perspectives. In 2018/19, we flexed different PR muscles to give Hong Kong’s image as a travel destination a complete make-over, and travellers compelling reasons to revisit this ever-evolving city. Three notable campaigns launched during the year respectively revealed the green side of the concrete jungle, transformed a grassroots district into an original, lively wonderland, and allured consumers with hidden gems in some of the busiest neighbourhoods. By securing partnerships with big names in broadcasting and other forms of media, and with a magical sprinkle of creativity, we achieved extensive global media coverage and opened the eyes of consumers worldwide to the many faces of Hong Kong.
Discover “One Place, Two Perspectives” with National Geographic (Nat Geo)
- Online engagement: close to 146,000 reached on National Geographic Asia’s Facebook page; over 33.2 million impressions and near 136,000 page views on its website
- Familiarisation trips: more than 160 journalists from over 110 media titles around the world
- Publicity: coverage in more than 4,000 news items; publicity value close to HK$510 million
Our annual Great Outdoors Hong Kong campaign celebrated its 10th edition in 2018. We took the opportunity to pump up the promotion by entering into a vital partnership with Nat Geo, a world-leading storyteller.
Taking the campaign further, we presented the great outdoors beyond hiking trails and beautiful beaches. The “One Place, Two Perspectives” message points to the fascinating visual dichotomy between the urban and natural landscapes – contrasting city views and verdant mountains, traditional villages and natural flora and fauna, the dramatic combination of marine and geological wonders – to stimulate the senses and highlight Hong Kong’s uniqueness.
We backed the rich, stunning visuals of Hong Kong’s gorgeous countryside and coastlines with enticing stories in order to stand out from the crowd. These contents were distributed over a co-ordinated platform of Nat Geo, whose extensive reach and credibility maximised the impact of the release and communication efforts of the HKTB’s offices around the globe.
Comprehensive articles and impressive videos incorporating personal experiences, tips and recommendations of award-winning photographers and athlete such as Matthieu Paley, Tugo Cheng and Wyan Chow Pui-yan were published to sustain the buzz of the campaign and to inspire readers to experience the breathtaking natural beauty of Hong Kong for themselves. Familiarisation trips for the global media to the recommended locations were organised which resulted in extensive publicity.
Reinventing Sham Shui Po
- Achievements of the Sham Shui Po media promotions: coverage by over 180 worldwide media outlets, resulting in more than HK$268 million in publicity value
- Professional recognition: Silver Award (Stakeholder Engagement) in the 4th Hong Kong Public Relations Award
To show another side of Hong Kong to visitors, we picked Sham Shui Po, historically a blue-collar area, as the second district under Hong Kong Neighbourhoods. While promoting the community’s down-to-earth vibe and truly local lifestyle, we shed light on hip hangouts and an alternative art scene through local stories “Follow the footsteps of internationally known big names” and “Young energies in an old district”. We especially collaborated with Alex Rodriguez, an award-winning Spanish videographer living in Sham Shui Po, to produce a time-lapse video to showcase the vibrancy of the neighbourhood which was distributed to media outlets worldwide. On top of this, we teamed up with CNN to produce two news features recounting the stories of creative souls with links to Sham Shui Po and introducing local fare. These narratives were aired across CNN’s international TV channels.
At the same time, we invited media from both short- and long-haul markets on familiarisation tours, giving them the opportunities to engage with personalities and the community of Sham Shui Po. Other stakeholder groups such as Hong Kong media, columnists, Consulate Generals, and foreign chambers of commerce joined our bespoke tours to visit some lesser-known locations in the area and go home with a brand new perspective of this traditional neighbourhood.
Local insider Michelle Loo locates treasures in quaint neighbourhoods
- Global publicity value generated by the campaign: over HK$161 million
To awaken the adventurer in potential travellers to Hong Kong, we supported the production of a six-episode TV programme series hosted by renowned TV personality Michelle Loo, who went on an expedition to discover hidden treasures and local flavours in characterful neighbourhoods in Hong Kong.
The programme showed viewers traditional craftsmanship, budding hipster boutiques, and old buildings revitalised into avant-garde art spaces in Sham Shui Po; instagrammable street art and new cultural hubs transformed from heritage sites in Central; small shops with distinctive personalities in a tranquil community in Wan Chai; and some of the shops and restaurants in Kowloon City frequented by internationally famous Hong Kong stars like Chow Yun Fat.
The programme was shown in multiple markets and on a great number of channels, including the in-flight entertainment programmes of Cathay Pacific and Air Asia, Astro TV in Malaysia, Starhub TV in Singapore, Azio TV and KLT – Golden International TV in Taiwan and Fairchild TV in Canada. We also invited Michelle Loo to Kuala Lumpur and Toronto and share with the media her recommendations as a local insider.
