Hong Kong Jockey Club National Day race mascot raises identity questions

The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) has faced heat after its recent National Day race poster showing two “horses” with horns drew heated discussions online. According to its official website, the horses, also known as “小龍馬”, were designed by local artist Simon Ma. Inspired by ancient Chinese mythical beast “dragonhorse”, the HKJC aims to showcase Chinese culture with the sculpture and use it as a symbol of hope. The HKJC aims to use “小龍馬” as the mascot for the National Day race on 1 October 2022, and to add more positivity and innovation to society.

However, a check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw some netizens on local forums such as LIHKG and HKJC’s Facebook page  questioning why the mascot was described as horse instead of a deer at the first place.

Social listening firm Tocanan saw a total of 293 mentions of the incident in the past few days, with 34% negative sentiments and 9% positive sentiments. 

Previously in July, the HKJC launched a campaign to spread positivity in Hong Kong by displaying “小龍馬” throughout various spots in the city. The installations were showcased in different areas such as The Peak, Tai Kwun, Sha Tin racecourse, Ocean Park, Hong Kong Sports Institute, Hong Kong Museum of Art and more.

Back in 2020, The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) has launched its first lifestyle channel featuring both racing and lifestyle content.

The channel – “Open Space” – includes lifestyle content ranging from travel, sports, art, film, to entertainment, to name a few. 

Created by Hans Ebert, creative and marketing advisor for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the channel targets a younger and more adventurous group of consumers. It also allows tourists from all over the world to know what is happening in Hong Kong, reminding them of the fun and great vibes one can have at HKJC’s iconic racecourse at Happy Valley.

Related articles:

HKJC launches second phase of 'Striding on' campaign
HKJC launches second phase of 'Striding on' campaign