Hang Seng Bank promotes financial inclusion with micro-drama series

Hang Seng Bank has unveiled a micro-drama series starring its management team to encourage financial inclusion and celebrate its commitment to future banking. 

This comes as the bank has unveiled its new "Future Banking 2.0" service concept at its newly renovated main branch in Central. The branch has integrated technology, personalised service, and sustainability to redefine banking, featuring a staff-assisted digital service approach, sustainable design, and community space.

To position itself as a leader in innovation, customer-centricity, sustainability, and financial inclusion, Hang Seng Bank has partnered with digital marketing agency Data Metas to launch a six-episode drama series featuring its management team and a group of children, employing creative ideas for promotion. The series highlights the tangible benefits of the bank's "Future Banking 2.0" services by creating a compelling narrative that resonates with customers and explains future banking with solid examples through the lens of Gen Alpha.

A spokesperson from Hang Seng Bank told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the campaign features Gen Alpha in leading roles, using children as symbols of the future. Their authentic viewpoints bring a refreshing perspective on the traditionally serious banking industry. "Our management team members also appear as extras, illustrating what future banking means in a relatable way. The unique twist of children portraying 'outer space' versions of our management team members adds fun and emphasises the importance of future-proofing our industry by aligning with the values of the next generation."

Titled "The future stars" (未來銀星), the series tells the story of a planet called "銀星" in outer space, which oversees the banking system for the entire universe, is managed by a group of children. When an interstellar storm unexpectedly hits Silver Star, it disrupts the banking system and its operations. Meanwhile, Hang Seng Bank has launched a comprehensive future banking service on Earth. Therefore, the children decide to travel to Earth to gain knowledge about future banking and help restore their system. 

Starting on Thursday (16 January), Hang Seng Bank will release six episodes of the drama series on its official YouTube channel and LinkedIn. Directed by local director Ronnie Chau (趙羅尼) and written by online writer Sapeiar (莎比亞), the series features a group of young actors portraying the management team of Hang Seng Bank. This includes Diana Cesar, executive director and chief executive; Rannie Lee, head of wealth and personal banking; Regina Lee, head of commercial banking; Vivien Chiu, chief operating officer; Theodore Mak, head of retail distribution; Kim Lay, head of digital banking; and Alex Wong, head of business banking.

A teaser and the first episode, titled "忘不了理財" are now available. The episode follows children who have just arrived on Earth as they encounter challenges in locating Hang Seng's management team. The management team has introduced Hang Seng's "Future Banking 2.0" services and the idea of financial inclusion in the series. The series will also feature Arthur Yuen, deputy chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), who shares some surprises in one of the episodes. The inclusion of the HKMA aims to enhance the campaign's credibility, emphasising the significance of anti-fraud awareness, which is a vital aspect of the "Future Banking" initiative, according to the spokesperson. 

In the series, behind-the-scenes moments and reels featuring the young actors are shared on Instagram to boost viewership of the campaign videos, amplifying the message and expanding its reach.

To promote internal engagement, the campaign includes a "Guess Who" lucky draw. This interactive game encourages employees to match executive "then and now" images, prompting them to explore their leaders' LinkedIn profiles for clues and reinforcing the core message of future banking.

Betty Law, head of corporate communications and community investments, Hang Seng Bank, said: “Since launching in July 2023, Hang Seng’s 'Future Banking' service concept has continually evolved with our customers’ needs at the forefront. In today’s landscape, engaging short-form content reigns supreme, and we’re harnessing this trend to showcase our products and services through creative storytelling on social media. A heartfelt thank you to Gen Alpha, our 'future stars', for helping us to bring 'Future Banking' to life."

Don’t miss: Hang Seng and Eric Kot empower youngsters to own their financial futures

Back in October last year, Hang Seng Bank launched the "Plan smart for every dollar” (每一蚊 神部署) campaign to connect with Hong Kong's younger generation and empower them to own their financial futures.

Done in collaboration with creative agency Sunny Idea Hong Kong, the campaign featured a dynamic combination of endorsers including local artist Eric Kot, a symbol of enduring creativity and playful spirit, alongside Tung Tung, LaiYing, and Michael Chu from the local online platform "Pomato," representing authentic voices of Hong Kong's younger generation. 

Related articles: 

What's keeping me up: Hang Seng Bank's Jordan Cheung
Hang Seng Bank empowers HK families with new CFO campaign
Hang Seng Bank and local KOLs team up to promote travel credit card