Calling all HK mums: Why HKTVmall's campaign is marketing genius

By now, we've all seen HKTVmall's latest brand campaign featuring 50 real-user mothers. Love it or hate it, it has caused buzz across local social platforms. 

According to media intelligence firm CARMA, over the past four days, there were approximately 400 mentions related to the campaign, spanning across various media platforms. Out of these mentions, approximately 35% were positive, while 13.5% were negative. Prior to the campaign, HKTVmall had a brand sentiment of 23.2% positive and 14.4% negative.  

Netizens have been particularly complimentary towards Mrs. Fong (方太), one of the participating mothers in the campaign, said Charles Cheung, CARMA’s HK GM. “They expressed delight in seeing her back on TV and were impressed by HKTVmall's ability to have her participate,” Cheung added.  

Also known as “Mom-certified!”, the campaign kicked off with an all-encompassing promotional push across all MTR stations in Hong Kong. It dominated 58 MTR stations, with over 3,120 MTR advertising lightboxes and 23 wrapped trains. 

Don’t miss: HKTVmall showcases diversity of 50 mothers in latest publicity stunt

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Ken Chan, director of business development and marketing, HKTVmall said the campaign comes at the perfect time in November, which is known as "Thanksgiving month".

"Then we came up with the idea of inviting real-user mothers, who have been our customers for years. To align with the idea of thanksgiving, we wish to appreciate the Hong Kong community by giving credits to ordinary mums, who have a relatable and trustworthy image, making them powerful influencers, especially for products or services related to household or family needs," Chan added.

Chan added that the idea of the campaign was backed by a HK$300 million investment to provide every HKTVmall user vouchers valued at HK$3,000, aiming to evolve HKTVmall from being 'Mom-certified!' today to 'Hong Kong-certified!'.

Industry players' reactions towards the campaign

On the marketing front, industry players MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to believed that the campaign by HKTVmall could potentially boost the brand's trustworthiness and appeal to a broad consumer base.

In fact, the usage of real mothers from diverse backgrounds can reflect the actual user base of the platform, making the campaign more authentic and inclusive, according to David Ko, managing director, RFI Asia. “The campaign also has a strong presence in offline spaces such as MTR stations, which can help in reaching a large audience,” he added.

The use of real-mother KOLs also demonstrated a keen understanding of HKTVmall's target market segment and helped the brand engage a wider audience, said Desmond So, CEO, Uth Creative.

Besides, the use of wordings and quotations is also key. For example, one of the visual ads features finance columnist Chin Cong C (千頌C), who wittily praises HKTVmall's services in the campaign’s visuals while humorously distancing herself from its publicly-traded entity, stock no. 1137.

“One aspect that particularly caught my attention is the inclusion of a quotation that is somewhat self-deprecating.  This choice adds an element of surprise and generates buzz, making it a topic of discussion among the audience,” So said. 

Is using KOCs in this case becoming a trend for marketers in HK?

In today's marketing world, it is common to see campaigns leveraging influencer or KOL marketing to boost brand awareness, however, HKTVmall’s bold move of using these real-user mothers or key opinion consumers (KOCs), is a rare example that takes creativity to a new level.

In response to conscious consumerism, using brand endorsers in campaigns is no longer as convincing as it used to be, said Celine Cheung, account director, RSVP Communications.

"Consumers may look for something that is more convincing such as KOCs or micro-consumers (MCs)[...]On top of that, while celebrity brand endorsement becomes more and more costly, it is not guaranteed for brands to make revenue to cover the cost. KOCs and MCs are definitely new tools to promote the brand, with excitement, and more cost-effective,” Cheung added.  

The trend of utilisation of KOCs among brands in Hong Kong primarily relies on celebrity endorsements, according to Vin Ng, director, Spread-It. "Audiences are increasingly placing their trust in KOCs due to their perceived lack of image burden, enabling them to provide more authentic and genuine commentary,” Ng said. 

Meanwhile, RFI Asia’s Ko said that it allowed brands to create more personalised and engaging content, as well as helped in building stronger connections with their target audience.

However, he said that for any marketing strategy, the use of KOCs should align with the brand's overall positioning and target audience. "Brands should also ensure that their KOCs genuinely believe in the products they are endorsing to maintain authenticity,” Ko said. 

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