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Speech by FS at Launch Ceremony of Revitalised Brand Hong Kong (with photos/video)
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     Following is the English translation of the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, at Launch Ceremony of Revitalised Brand Hong Kong today (March 27):

Distinguished Guests, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

     I am delighted that so many of you have joined us for this exciting Launch Ceremony of the revitalised Brand Hong Kong (BrandHK) Programme today.

     BrandHK was launched in May 2001 as a communications platform to promote Hong Kong globally as  "Asia's world city". It enhances our competitive positioning and reinforces our efforts to attract capital, tourists and talent.  

     In the light of dramatic changes in the world's economy in recent years, the Chief Executive initiated a review  of BrandHK in his 2007 Policy Address. The review is to ensure that the brand  evolves with the times and remains an effective communication platform for promoting Hong Kong .

     The thrust of the brand review was "public engagement" and "vision co-creation".  We engaged a wide cross-section of the community with only one goal in mind - let members of the community jointly  create a common vision for BrandHK.  In this way we can make sure that the brand's DNA, i.e., its core values, attributes, positioning, platform and visual identity, will not be out of touch with public perceptions of  this city.

     BrandHK is the city brand of Hong Kong people and what they think about their own city is of prime importance. To gauge their views of and aspirations for the city, professional opinion surveys, sectoral consultation sessions, focus groups and vision co-creation workshops were held between May 2008 to April 2009. In addition, a web platform was set up and two creative competitions were held to tap the community's vision of an ideal Hong Kong.

     We then analysed and studied the data collected, and, on the basis of the newly identified strengths of the city, mapped out a marketing and communications strategy that would help us better promote  Hong Kong. For details of the survey findings, you may refer to an opinion analysis report uploaded onto the revamped BrandHK website.

     By now you may be anxious to know what the revised DNA of BrandHK is. Well, I won't keep you in suspense any more.

     The five core values of the updated BrandHK are: Free, Enterprising, Excellence, Innovative and Quality Living.  Core values are something that Hong Kong people cherish or aspire to.  

     And the five updated attributes are: Cosmopolitan, Secure, Connected, Diverse and Dynamic.  Attributes describe Hong Kong's perceived characteristics.

     Survey findings revealed general support for Hong Kong to position itself as Asia's world city, so we will keep the brand positioning as it is.  As for brand platform,  we now define ourselves as a free and dynamic society where creativity and entrepreneurship converge.  Strategically located in the heart of Asia,  we are a cosmopolitan city offering global connectivity, security and rich diversity, and  home to a unique network of people who celebrate excellence and quality living.

     Now that the updated DNA has been announced, some of you may feel that these  10 adjectives or phrases describing BrandHK sound all too familiar.  Indeed they  bear out the fact that in pursuit of the ideal Hong Kong, local people have been steady in their goal and clear in their direction.  Nevertheless, if we are careful enough in our analysis and comparison of the brand's old and updated DNA, we should be able to discern some subtle changes that should not be ignored.

     Turning to the brand core values, I would like to highlight a couple of points. The survey findings show that Hong Kong people greatly value creativity and the quality of life, but at the same time there is also the general feeling that more should be done to attain these goals. So we classify "Innovative" and "Quality Living" as aspirational values.  

     Secondly, "Quality Living" is a broad term that encompasses residents' desire for a green living environment, work-life balance and a lifestyle that appreciates arts and culture and treasures the city's nature and heritage. Some of the elements of this new core value, such as nature and heritage conservation and healthy work-life balance, were absent in the BrandHK launched in 2001.

     Let me turn now to the refreshed look of the BrandHK visual identity, which is right behind me on the backdrop. It is the work of renowned designer Mr Alan Chan. You may have already noticed that the essence of the original flying dragon has been maintained, yet the dragon itself has evolved a bit. The feedback from the review shows general backing for the dragon, which has built up substantial equity over the years. Members of the tourism sector are strong advocates on this point.  There are also views that the visual identity should have a refreshed image to reflect the updated brand DNA.  Alan has thus injected more dynamism and flair into the BrandHK logo with his ribbon and multiple colour design. He is with us today and will later share with us his creative ideas behind the design of this updated visual identity.

     Don't be surprised if you still see the old and new dragon icons co-existing in the coming months. The revitalised dragon logo is evolutionary and we do not see a strong case for overnight migration.  The updated brand DNA speaks volumes for the present spirit of our community.  Right now what we should do is to inject much more vitality into the revitalised BrandHK.

     The vitality of BrandHK comes from the people of Hong Kong.  Each  face  tells a story and together, the people of  Hong Kong make it Asia's world city.  The soon to be  launched "Faces of Hong Kong" Campaign  will invite different people tell their own Hong Kong stories  to let the world discover the many faces of Hong Kong.  In this regard, I would like to thank in particular Mr Chow Yun-fat, Mr Philip Chen and Dr Allan Zeman for taking time out of their busy schedules to help us with the shooting of our promotional video and also turn up this afternoon.  My thanks also go to Mr Li Yundi,  Mr Chan Siu-ki and all others who have likewise accepted our invitation to appear in the video on a voluntary basis.

     We hope to get everyone involved in telling the world that Hong Kong may run into storms, but we will tide over them;  Hong Kong may be small in size, but our people are broad-minded; we do not boast a long history, but we have an open and diverse culture; our urban areas are full of hustle and bustle, but we also have serene and quiet villages; and we have skyscrapers, just as we have  meandering mountain trails.  All in all, Hong Kong is an interesting place to live, work, study and visit.

     Ladies and gentlemen, branding is a long drawn out and ongoing process.  We do not expect  any magical impact overnight  after the revitalisation of BrandHK. However, if we persist in our efforts to nurture and promote the brand, our branding programme will bear fruit one day.

     In May, the revitalised Brand Hong Kong will have exposure to a global audience at the Shanghai World Expo. This visual embodiment of the spirit of Hong Kong will also be flying all over the world as it would be put on Cathay Pacific's entire fleet of aircraft.  Please join us in living up to the brand promise and letting the rest of the world know more about this modern, dynamic and enterprising city of Hong Kong, Asia's world city.

Ends/Saturday, March 27, 2010
Issued at HKT 16:36

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