HKU SPACE Uncovers the Myth of Building Brands With Some of the Most Recognized Brand Gurus in Hong Kong 

On September 18, 2009, HKU SPACE organized a Brand Forum which invited some of Hong Kong’s most recognized and experienced speakers to uncover the myth of building successful brands.

Organized by the College of Business and Finance, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Brand Development Council (HKBDC), the forum aimed to create an awareness of brand-building and to discuss the importance of investing in brands as an integral part of a successful business strategy.

Attended by over 300 guests, the distinguished speakers were Dr. Royce Yuen, Chairman, Ogilvy Hong Kong, Ms. Viveca Chan, Chairman, WE Marketing Group, Mr. Stephen Chan, a Veteran in broadcasting and communications, and Ms. Melanie Lee, Adjunct Assistant Professor and Course Advisor of the Executive Series of Programmes in branding for HKU SPACE.

Dr Royce Yuen, Chairman of Ogilvy Hong Kong, addressed one of the key challenges that organizations face in building and protecting their brands. In the age of the internet, building brands has never been more challenging. All marketers know that the word of mouth effect has always been a prevailing and powerful force of brand building or failures. However, the speed at which the word of mouth impacts has escalated at the touch of a button through the words of a mouse. Ordinary people can easily spread good and bad information about brands in a faster pace than marketers could ever anticipate or control. Another challenge that we face now in the times of the financial crisis is the trust in brands with a few well-known brands failing their customers. We are at a point that consumers are becoming more and more skeptical in their trust towards brands. Brand builders have to work harder now to win the hearts of their customers. He offered ten tips for them to contemplate on and adopt to achieve brand success.

1. Under promise, over deliver

2. Do what matters to consumers, not you

3. Manage all the stakeholders

4. Take prompt and decisive action

5. Respect the local culture

6. Be sensitive to political implications

7. It’s not only what you do, but also what you don’t do

8. Don’t try to please everybody

9. Be relevant

10. Be aware of the social value of brands

Ms Viveca Chan, Chairman and CEO of WE Marketing Group provided further insight on how to make a brand stick in the mind of the consumers. She suggested that there are 6 key strategies that lie in the process of brand communications. In her own words, ‘the message must be simple, unanticipated, concrete, credible, be able to tell a story and have emotional impact.

The last speaker Stephen Chan, a Veteran in Broadcasting and Communications, considered the historical background of TVB and how it has enjoyed great success in positioning its brand. He commented that the success of TVB lied in its far-sightedness in its brand positioning and its ability to capitalize on its competitiveness in the marketplace. For over 40 years, TVB has been strategic in its company development initiatives by producing programs that are not only locally relevant in content but also adaptable in responding to market changes quickly. Also, TVB aimed to maintain a high standard in our program production quality. Stephen added further that ‘by being able to deliver our promises in a consistent and persistent manner, I believe these are some of the success factors for the TVB brand.”

The last session was a panel discussion facilitated by Melanie Lee, Adjunct Assistant Professor, HKU SPACE. The guests shared their insights on some widely discussed brand topics such as the Obama presidential campaign as well as the effectiveness of Hong Kong being branded as “Asia World City”.

In the times of economic downturn, corporations tend to cut budgets and the first thing that they would consider to cut is the investment in marketing and brand. Melanie’s advice to all at the end of the evening was that we urge decision-makers to rethink this move as investing in brands has very often proven to be the most effective strategy in creating value for its stakeholders over the long term. Organizations are more equipped to ride out storms and come out as Brand Champions in challenging times” concluded Ms. Melanie Lee.