Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Brand Development Council (BDC) and the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong (CMA), the 2014 Brand Awards Presentation Ceremony-cum-BDC 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner was held on 2 February at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Financial Secretary Hon John Tsang and Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Hon Gregory So were invited to be the guests-of-honour and to present trophies to the winners, together with Mr Godfrey Leung, Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development; and Mr Kenneth Mak, Director-General of Trade and Industry.
The 2014 Brand Awards have turned out to be another great success. Through rigorous selection, 43 brands have become laureates of the four award schemes. In which, 17 brands have won the “Hong Kong Top Brand” and 14 brands have won the “Hong Kong Top Service Brand”; whilst 6 product brands and 6 service brands have won the “Hong Kong Emerging Brand Awards” and “Hong Kong Emerging Service Brand Awards” respectively. The products of the winners are on display at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s Design Gallery at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre until 6 February.
Addressing the Awards Presentation Ceremony, BDC Chairman Ms Shirley Chan said, “Like their predecessors, this year’s winners have exhibited remarkable performance in respect of Reputation, Distinctiveness, Innovation, Quality, Image, as well as Environmental Performance and Social Responsibility, showcasing the latest developments and admirable achievements of Hong Kong brands. Their hard-earned success stories have added a remarkable chapter to the legendary epic of Hong Kong brands, while setting up role models for and giving inspirations to our industries.”
“In today’s fast-paced business environment, brand has become an indispensible factor for an enterprise, an organisation and even an economy to sustain competitiveness. Initiated by the CMA in 2005, the BDC itself is an unprecedented common undertaking of Hong Kong industries, aiming to build a flagship to spearhead brand development by leveraging on a “Market Leads, Government Facilitates, and Community Supports” tripartite model. As a vision-driven, non-profit-making organisation specialising in brand building, the BDC has been devoted to fulfilling its founding mission. While pursuing the overall strategy for advancing Hong Kong’s brand development and assisting the Government to implement related polices, it has been playing the role of a facilitator and coordinator, in an attempt to pool together the resources in our community and set up a “one-stop” platform to support the branding efforts of local industries,” Ms Chan continued.
“Since its inception, the BDC has adhered to a pragmatic approach and never been afraid of blazing new trails. From the launch of the Hong Kong Top Service Brand Awards and the expansion of the Hong Kong Top Brand Mark (Top Mark) Scheme in 2005, the introduction of “Made in Hong Kong Mark” in 2006, the publication of “Hong Kong Brand Development Strategies and Action Agenda” in 2007 and the provision of Hong Kong’s first diploma course on brand management in 2008, to the establishment of Emerging Brand Awards in 2010 and the implementation of serial “Hong Kong Brand Festival” Projects in the Mainland’s major cities more recently, the BDC has continuously rolled out ground-breaking initiatives, sharpening its leading position in the field of brand accreditation, promotion, incubation, policy research, education and international cooperation. On the road of “branding to win”, the Council has moved from strength to strength and, hand in hand with the industries, ushered in a new epoch for Hong Kong brand development,” added Ms Chan. Although a relatively young organisation with limited resources, the BDC has managed notwithstanding to gain a firm foothold in key areas and has laid a sound foundation for further development. Ms Chan believed that these are attributed to the concerted efforts of the Government and our community as a whole. They are also an indicator for Hong Kong’s immense potential as a “brands hub” and a testimony to local companies’ unswerving commitment to upgrading along the value chain.
To celebrate its 10th birthday, the BDC has staged a host of events and programmes under the banner of “Leading the Way, Branding for Excellence”. In addition to the Anniversary Gala Dinner tonight, the campaign includes the introduction of a new honorary category namely “Ten Year Achievement Award” and a promotional booth at the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo which aims to enhance the profile of the Council and promote the branding achievements of Hong Kong industries.
Starting from August 2014, a newspaper report series titled “Hong Kong Brands: New‧Classic” is regularly published by the BDC in collaboration with the Hong Kong Economic Times. The reports collects the success stories of Hong Kong’s representative brands, enumerating their succession and evolutions as well as the invaluable experience of brand operators; and at a later stage, these reports will then be compiled into a book of the same title. The BDC plans to hold a launching ceremony for thebook around mid-2015. A forum will also be organised to raise the awareness of branding among the industries and the public as a whole.
More than 700 guests attended the Awards Presentation Ceremony-cum-Gala Dinner that night. They included Deputy Director-General of Economic Affairs Department Mr Zhang Xialing; CMA President Dr Eddy Li; BDC Chairman Elect Mr Simon Wong; CMA Vice Presidents, Permanent Honorary Presidents and General Committee members; the panel judges; leading businessmen and representatives from the winning companies.
