PRWeek Global Thinktank | Asia-Pacific

VitalStatistics

Population: 7,045,000
Monetary unit: Hong Kong dollar (HK$)
Capital city: Hong Kong
Major languages: Chinese; English
Major religions: nonreligious/non-practitioner of religion c. 57%; Protestant c. 4.5%; Roman Catholic c. 3.5%; Muslim c. 1.5%; remainder (mostly Buddhist, Taoist, or Confucianist) 33.5%
Ethnic composition: Chinese 95.0%; Filipino 1.6%; Indonesian 1.3%; assorted Caucasian 0.5%; Indian 0.3%; Nepalese 0.2%; other 1.1%
Age breakdown: under 15, 12.5%; 15–29, 20.4%; 30–44, 24.5%; 45–59, 25.0%; 60–74, 11.3%; 75–84, 4.7%; 85 and over, 1.6%
Life expectancy: male 79.8 years; female 86.1 years
Education: Percentage of population age 15 and over having: no formal schooling 5.4%; primary education 18.2%; secondary 46.3%; matriculation 5.4%; nondegree higher 8.2%; higher degree 16.5%. Literacy (2000): total population age 15 and over literate 93.5%; males literate 96.5%; females literate 90.2%
Urban/Rural split: urban 100.0%
Income per household (USD): $28,800
Broadband internet users (%): -

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica

Introduction

For centuries Hong Kong has profited from being a gateway into China and the rest of South East Asia, and that remains the case today. Indeed the tiny administrative region is one of the world’s leading financial centres, and as the world’s economic axis tilts ever further away from North America and Europe in favour of Asia, more and more corporates are pouring into Hong Kong.

This has brought a host of opportunities for PR companies in the city-state. From government contracts, to commercial contracts in booming Macau, and increasing in the largely unmapped digital landscape, there are PR contracts up for grabs in Hong Kong.

Yet, there are threats too. Singapore is a rising regional challenger, and Hong Kong’s small population makes consumer campaigns challenging. Furthermore, it can be difficult to find the local talent, people who can bridge East and West culturally, and maintain relationships with top-tier western media as well as less sophisticated local outlets.

Media

Along with Singapore, Hong Kong is Asia’s main media hub, so the majority, if not all, of the regional media outlets in Asia are based in these two cities. The main media in terms of general and business news include CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, BBC, TIME magazine, WSJ Asia, Financial Times, and The Economist.”

Other serious business newspapers to consider are the International Herald Tribune, Hong Kong Economic Journal and Hong Kong Economic Times. Ming Pao has strong culture-led content and Sing Tao has focused largely on property, a cornerstone of Hong Kong’s economy. Apple Daily is where you go for celebrity news and tabloid content. There are also a number of free daily newspapers which have high circulation and readership.

Michelle Shao, Asia public relations director at global outsourcing firm Mercer says: “Recent developments in PR include a shift from using purely traditional forms of PR towards a combination of initiatives incorporating digital and traditional. Social media has become a core component of digital PR, not only for consumer brands, but we're seeing more and more applications for other large sectors such as professional services and financial services as well.”

Margaret Lam, VP marketing, Asia-Pacific, at financial services provider Experian HK, agrees: “In Hong Kong, there is a limited number of media outlets that focus on marketing,” she says. “For us it’s Marketing Magazine, marketing-interactive.com, CampaignAsia and ClickZ online. However, more and more consumers are shifting to digital, and so PR needs to be more creative, reaching social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as well as Weibo for China.”

Major Brands

Almost every top-tier financial services brand in the world has a presence in Hong Kong, and in recent months we have seen an influx of second-tier financial services companies keen to establish a foothold in this market. Recent campaigns in this sector include an investor attitudes report from Friends Provident International and an asset management industry study from Principal Global Investors.

Then there are the luxury brands such as Prada and L’Occitane which see Hong Kong as a way to reach wealthy Chinese consumers. Other experts mention recent campaigns from Cadbury, New Balance and Bombardier Aerospace.

Established Hong Kong brands such as Swire Properties and Cathay Pacific continue to have a solid public relations presence but newer brands such as GroupON, which entered the Hong Kong market last year via an acquisition of local player ubuyibuy, are making their mark.