Under the sponsorship of the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (Organisation Support Programme), the BDC is organising “‘Celebration! Loving Hong Kong’ Brand Festival in Beijing” Serial Activities to Promote Hong Kong Brands’ Collective Image Project, with the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong acting as the Collaborating Organisation and the CMA Exhibition Services Limited acting as Implementation Agent. This 13-month Project commenced on 1 December 2016.
Mega cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou had been the “first-leg” or primary entry point for Hong Kong brands taking the lead to venture into the Mainland market. Notwithstanding a tightening-up operational environment characterised by escalating costs, intensified competition as well as more sophisticated and demanding consumers there, the first-tier cities are still of irreplaceable strategic value nowadays, even for Hong Kong SMEs aspiring to expand their frontier of domestic sales.
Capitalising on a special time when the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ushers in the 20th anniversary, this Project stages a series of brand image-building and promotion campaigns supplemented by targeted market research and training programmes, with a focus on the Beijing Municipality. Under the banner of “‘Celebration! Loving Hong Kong’ Brand Festival in Beijing” (also referred as “Hong Kong Brand Festival．Beijing”), it aims to advance Hong Kong brands’ understanding of the commercial environment of Mainland’s first-tier cities and assist them to explore business opportunities in the Mainland especially the North China. At the same time, by demonstrating the branding achievements of Hong Kong enterprises especially after SAR’s handover, the Project will help to promote the collective image of Hong Kong brands and ignite the cohesive power of “Loving Hong Kong” among Hong Kong industries.
The Project features a series of diversified activities. Its mainstay is a exhibition zone set up at the “2017 Hong Kong Trendy Products Expo, Beijing” (the Expo) to showcase the latest developments of Hong Kong brands, centering on a specially-designed image display gallery and accompanied by a line-up of stage performances and entertainment programmes with distinctive “Hong Kong flavours”, which will culminate in a multidimensional, experience-based ambience to highlight the core values of Hong Kong’s brand culture, while providing a window to demonstrate the enviable economic achievements of Hong Kong especially since its return to the motherland. Besides, a joint promotion scheme is to be launched in Beijing to call for Hong Kong brands to give out preferential offers to local citizens as a token in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of HKSAR; and an exchange meeting between Beijing distributors and Hong Kong brand operators would be held, in an attempt to garner first-hand intelligences on market environment, entry channel and branding strategies pertinent to North China and first-tier cities.
Meanwhile, an array of diversified publicity activities will roll out in Hong Kong and Beijing as well, leveraging on all-around marketing communication channels particularly new media; whereas an e-book featuring the success stories of representative Hong Kong brands will be published on-line and an experience-sharing seminar with emphasis on branding strategies and domestic sales will be organised in Hong Kong, with an eye to inculcating best practices in branding into local industries and to exploring the ways to take forward the future development of Hong Kong brands.
A well-decorated exhibition zone namely “‘Celebration! The Parade of Hong Kong Brands” is to be set up at the “2017 Hong Kong Trendy Products Expo, Beijing” (the Expo) to display the representative products and information of around 60 Hong Kong brands with strong innovation, design, or cultural elements. The exhibition zone will serve as a window to illustrate the stylish, enterprising, culturally-sophisticated and superior image of Hong Kong brands.
A specially-designed thematic gallery with strong visual impacts will be established at the center of the exhibition zone to demonstrate the collective image of Hong Kong brands under the theme of “Branding: To Do Hong Kong Proud”. By assembling 20 indigenous brands founded at different historical phases that epitomise the developmental trajectory of Hong Kong economy, the image display gallery not only presents a intriguing review of the success stories of Hong Kong’s original brands, but also creates a time tunnel taking visitors on an excursion to revisit the heritage and evolution of Hong Kong brands and to appreciate the enviable economic achievements that Hong Kong has made especially since its return to the motherland.
A series of stage performances with distinctive “Hong Kong flavours” and entertaining programmes echoing with the subject of the thematic gallery are to be lined up at the Expo venue, scattering over the exhibition period, in an attempt to demonstrate the diversity and lifestyle-orientation of Hong Kong brands while enhancing the participation and enjoyment of the visitors.
A joint promotion scheme namely “Loving Hong Kong．Brand Gift-Away Surprise” Campaign is to be organised around mid-2017, which will disseminate the joyful message of “Happy Anniversary to Hong Kong” around the Capital city and call for Hong Kong brands with operations in Beijing to offer discounts or special gifts to customers that are engaged with the Campaign or/and the Festival via social media. By leveraging on the initiative and cohesive force of Hong Kong companies, this Campaign would not only help to build up promotion momentum for the Festival, but also manifest the patriotic spirits of the industries.
A business exchange meeting will be organised in Beijing. Under the moderation of a marketing expert, a couple of local distributors, representatives of related associations and experienced practitioners with exposure to Beijing and neighbouring markets would be invited to an interactive meeting, whereby Hong Kong brand operators could exchange views with the panellists, availing themselves of an opportunity to gain better understanding of the commercial environment, distribution channels, logistics and supporting facilities in North China and to explore effective branding and marketing strategies pertinent to domestic market especially the first-tier cities.
An e-book titled “Branding: To Do Hong Kong Proud” will be compiled and published on-line, which features the success stories of the brands participating in the image display gallery (15-20 brands) and also collects the strategic thinking and know-how shared by brand operators with focus on their real-life experiences in developing the Mainland Market, supplemented by insightful comments from brand experts and domain professionals. Not only will the e-Book be an up-to-date literature to document the remarkable achievements and the latest developments of Hong Kong brands, and also it will inspire the industries with the best practices in brand-building.
A 2-hour concluding seminar will be hosted in Hong Kong to serve as a forum for professionals and representatives from local companies to share experience, exchange views and explore the ways forward in regard to domestic sales and branding.
A publicity and advertising campaign, which leverages on traditional information channels and more importantly a variety of new media tools like social media, is to be mounted by phases in Hong Kong and Beijing especially at the Expo, in tandem with the activities of the Festival.
A set of promotional materials, e.g. leaflets, and brochures of exhibitors and souvenirs for visitors, will be produced and distributed at the Expo and/or selected locations in Beijing and during and/or prior to the exhibition period.
Regular updates on the serial activities of the Project will be broadcasted through the website of the Project and the Organiser.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this webpage (or by members of the Project team) do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Trade and Industry Department or the Vetting Committee for the SME Development Fund and the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (Organisation Support Programme).
