Once upon a dim sum and long before tripping over and tripping out on the words “mega events”, Hong Kong was producing world class advertising that was winning International awards- work like the brilliant 1983 “Behind The Mask” documentary produced for the Hong Kong Tourist Association and directed by Louis Ng for his Film Factory.
This was when the South China Morning Post was, together with the Bangkok Post, one of the best and objective newspapers in the world.
There were journalists and film critics the calibre of Jack Moore and Harry Rolnick, a Fashion Editor at the China Mail like the quite mad, creatively outré and unsinkable Hilary Alexander, OBE.
The Hui Brothers, led by Michael Hui, were at the peak of their creative powers as was advertising legend, writer and lyricist James Wong.
There were creative and advertising and production people like my longtime friend and often collaborator Stasch Radwanski, below, who weren’t copycats and where the technique was never the idea and nothing driven by “meganess”.
The Hong Kong creative buffet wasn’t a disjointed yum yum tree of Selfieness with clients creating cuteness based on their own Hello Kitty tastes and turning to their favourite celebrities for “branding” purposes despite these people endorsing around 5-6 totally different products.
There was an awareness and importance attached to finding the USP and making this work effectively and without empty mega talk whereas today, apparently everything must be “MEGA”- and often here today and gone tomorrow with ZERO sustainability.
How and when did the MEGA hype machine sneak up on Hong Kong?
How many of today’s social media “influencers” and Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and “marketing executives” understand even the rudiments of marketing?
Do those in Hong Kong who are now, somehow, in charge of global brands capable of delivering, well, some much needed original Made In Hong Kong deliverables- not necessarily MEGA?
Do they even know what Hong Kong needs or what this city’s brand personality is BEFORE going mega?
Do they even care?
Are they qualified for their high paying positions and their mega waffling?
It was interesting to read in the SCMP today Rosanna Law Shuk-Oui, the incoming secretary for culture, sports and tourism, whose name was only mentioned last week following the sacking of Kevin Yeung, mention that 110 mega events in the first six months of 2024 drew an estimated 500,000 tourists to “participate”.
“Participate”? Really?
And how “They brought around HK$2.4 billion of spending and a value add of about HK$1.4 billion” in a written response to lawmakers’ questions.
“Around”? “About”? Written?
In its Editorial, the SCMP mentioned the need for a softly softly approach before going full tilt boogie on possible “mega flops”, whereas interesting was lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun noting that retail sales for the first six months of the year fell by HK$13.6 billion compared with last year.
Added Tien, “So I’m puzzled where these numbers came from, or where all that money has gone…if we didn’t have mega-events, would we be doing worse?”
Shouldn’t there be someone with international expertise and a proven track record for success with some of the biggest names in sports, music and original programming and content to look over all this MEGA spending?
I know the perfect person, have worked with him and whose NAME alone being associated with Hong Kong will have the international media looking at the city with new eyes.
What Hong Kong needs is CREDIBILITY and not more stop-gap measures.
Meanwhile, many in this city whine and pass the buck, but can they intertwine the knots and inspire? Or are they Okay with things just being Okay and let the Peter Principle take over and allow the rut to set in and continue and stay there?
Me, I can’t believe that I cannot find a hotel or restaurant that can make a decent Chicken Salad or Tuna Salad or Chicken Liver Sandwich?
Remember the burgers and onion rings at Dan Ryan’s?
What about Jimmy’s Kitchen and it’s wonderful Madras Chicken Curry and a Satellite for dessert?
For me, the highlight of going to church at St John’s Cathedral was the buffet for lunch afterwards at the Jade Lotus Ballroom of the Hong Kong Hilton where my father was lucky enough to get a job.
Hong Kong also had access to the creativity of Jim Henson and the Children’s Television Worshop’s Sesame Street with all its many characters that led to The Muppet Show and some of the best home schooling there was for kids.
Imagine the world without “E.T.” and “Close Encounters”, “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones”. I can’t. That would be like never having had the music of Sinatra or Hollywood or Rock and Roll and Beatlemania.
Those of us who were actually THERE and grew up influenced by this brilliant creative jumbo still get together whenever possible and speak Creative fluently.
We are kids again and talking about everything and everyone from Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder to Motown and the much anticipated new movie about Bob Dylan.
We might then make a U-turn and return to the influence that the Four Freshmen had on the Beach Boys and how and where the Ertegun brothers and Jerry Wexler fit into the history of making music- Ahmet Ertegun, the legend, who a kid smoked a joint with at his Peninsula suite together with Helen Reddy and then husband Jeff Wald.
Of course, what the naysayers in this city will ask is whether any of this is relevant to the new Hong Kong, or how it won’t work probably because they don’t know how MUCH worked and CAN work whereas social media has robbed many of originality, the ability to think and focus on life priorities.
How the hell will anyone know any of everything that happened before to today’s new generation of consumers and see how they might be inspired enough to create something that’s relevant to them?
Many of us won’t be around to see this happen, but we would have passed the torch like our parents did to us about things like manners and respecting one’s elders.
Me, apart from still very much immersed in the creative process and the creative product, I’m still waiting for somewhere in Hong Kong that can serve me a damn good MEGA Chicken Salad Sandwich.
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