Hong Kong Tourism Board faces heat for starring pre-pandemic 'Honey Badger' in latest ads

Hong Kong Tourism Board has faced heat after releasing a Covid-blind campaign featuring former Australian rugby player Nick “Honey Badger” Cummins without face masks.

Also known as “Honey Badger x Hong Kong”, the three-part video series featuring Cummins visiting tourist attractions and trying his hand at martial art Wing Chun, was unlisted from YouTube. However, they were uploaded last Friday and have gained several hundred views each.

“Want to travel like a local? Ride the Ding Ding,” Cummins said in one of the videos while sitting aboard the tram without wearing a mask. A check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw on Twitter that some netizens questioned why Cummins was not wearing a mask, and why is there a shot of Cummins eating at Tung Po Kitchen, which was previously forced to shut down.

In the same video, Cummins was seen hopping from the tram to the Star Ferry before heading to Sham Shui Po, where he visited vinyl devotee Ah Paul, ordered cheung fan at Hop Yik Tai and looked at electronics on offer at Apliu Street as he described the place as “where the locals go treasure hunting.”

However, the description under the videos have claimed that the videos are for advertising and creative purposes only. “Please wear a mask and comply with the latest regulations and guidelines issued by the HKSAR Government,” it read.

Social listening firm CARMA saw a total of 74% negative mentions on coverage related to this story across different media channels over the past day. Most Hong Kong-based netizens criticised the intention of the video to create a false image that Hong Kong is business as usual, while in reality the city is still restricted by a set of quarantine measures, according to CARMA’s GM Charles Cheung.

“Several netizens pointed out that Nick Cummins was last in Hong Kong in January 2020, and hence the video must have been filmed before the pandemic outbreak. On the other hand, the focus of overseas netizens appears to be more toward human rights issues and the reason behind Cummins’ decision to support the Hong Kong government,” Cheung added.

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a spokesperson of HKTB said: “The social video series was launched by HKTB's Sydney office on 5 October. The series was first produced in late January of 2020 with a view to promoting Hong Kong's diverse experience, including the city's world-class sports events such as the Hong Kong Sevens, with a local Australian rugby athlete to better engage consumers in the source market, at a time when anti-pandemic measures were yet to be in place in Hong Kong."

"When the global pandemic developed, the HKTB shelved the promotional video as public concerns on health and hygiene increased and travel restrictions started to take place in various destinations. As the HKSAR Government recently announced the "0+3" arrangement in September and as a lead-up to the Hong Kong Sevens (4-6 Nov), the HKTB's Sydney Office rolled out the video series with an aim to promote Hong Kong as an international travel destination with a diverse offering of experiences, including our international sports events. As such, the HKTB recently obtained the permission of the celebrity to launch the previously produced video series. The contents and presentations of the video series are made for advertising and creative purposes only to give viewers a general look and feel of the excitement in the city and to present the overall Hong Kong lifestyle," the spokesperson added. 

The spokesperson also said that the HKTB has included a disclaimer under the video player to remind viewers that the scenes and visuals in all promotional materials were made for advertising and creative purposes only. "For the avoidance of doubt, the disclaimer also reminds viewers to wear a mask and comply with latest regulations and official guidelines when they are in town," the spokesperson added. 

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