HKEX celebrates overseas expansion with campaign featuring iconic HK red taxi

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) has launched a social media led marketing and PR campaign centered around Hong Kong's iconic red taxi upon its recent expansion into London and New York.

This comes as HKEX expanded its international presence with the opening of new offices in London and New York in September and June this year respectively. As such, HKEX wished to build awareness of the openings and to promote the HKEX brand amongst the targeted international financial community.

Also known as “HKEX Taxi”, the campaign featured an iconic Hong Kong red taxi in a playful way to announce the arrival of HKEX in the two cities, injecting humour and HKEX’s message of connectivity to the campaign.

The campaign came with bite-sized films revolving around a Hong Kong taxi, which was seen leaving Hong Kong and arriving in both London and New York in a split second. The taxi drove through the streets of London and New York, passing many of the cities’ famous landmarks. The videos were launched on major social platforms to invite curiosity and generate interest.

Targetting the international financial community, focused on the UK and North America, a spokesperson from HKEX told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the campaign was also well received in Hong Kong, distilling a sense of pride in the city and its people, as they witnessed the roving international Hong Kong taxi on its journey.

Apart from social media, the campaign was also executed in print, online, outdoor, event and public relations. The campaign films were supported by strategic on the ground media activations, including a Times Square billboard animation in New York, a cover wrap of the commuter freesheet paper, City AM, London, and an online display banners on Bloomberg during the campaign period - all targeted at the financial community in each city.

As part of the PR outreach, an on-air media interview on CNN was secured with HKEX CEO Nicolas Aguzin, which additionally broadcast the New York taxi campaign film both before and during the live interview.

Additionally, the campaign was brought to life at launch events in New York and London, with customised event visuals, HKEX toy taxi models and the appearance of the HKEX (full size) taxi itself at the events.

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"HKEX is one of the world’s leading stock exchange groups and it plays a unique role of connecting investors and companies across markets in China and the rest of the world. The Hong Kong taxi was a visual representation of this important super-connector role," said the spokesperson.

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