HSBC Hong Kong breaks boundaries by repositioning brand image

HSBC Hong Kong won big at this year’s MARKies Awards, taking home four prizes in the categories of Best Idea – Gamification; Best Idea – Launch/Rebranding; Best Idea – Influencer; and Best Use of Out-Of-Home.

The wins marked the industry’s recognition of HSBC’s marketing strategies, where the brand has repositioned itself as being younger, bolder, and more progressive.

It also incorporated augmented reality gamification to transform the adventure into an immersive journey, making the communication between the brand and consumers fun and engaging, while literally getting people moving with the HSBC EveryMile credit card.

To further engage with its customers, HSBC triggered a city-wide AR scavenger hunt, revolving around helping its protagonists get back home by collecting game pieces. With a 3D billboard as the starting point, the brand enticed people to travel to different out-of-home locations to engage in the campaign.

Brian Hui (pictured), head of customer propositions and marketing at HSBC, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the campaign incorporated the education of financial management for investment beginners, also known as “Wealth A0”, to simplify the principle of the investment process for young consumers.

“We hope to engage more young consumers by breathing with them at the same pace, via creating slangs, and understanding the needs of consumers and target segments,” Hui said.

The resonance created by the brand was also showcased upon the launch of the “SUMMERverse” experience for this year’s HSBC Red Hot Festival.

The campaign aimed to break boundaries with a holistic marketing strategy, from choosing the most impactful brand ambassadors, to picking the most engaging medium by utilising the metaverse in an effort to create a “SUMMERverse” experience with maximum synergy.

“Just like how I’m talking to you, I do not want you to feel like you are talking to an old man,” Hui said.

“We also want to utilise omni-communication-channels to connect with customers. In return, we replaced the ‘one to one’ or ‘one to many’ communication ways in the past to ‘many to many’. In terms of content, we also rejuvenated and partnered with brands that share the same language with our end customers, for example, we have collaborated with Casetify, a brand that is popular among youngsters, it’s all about using the right marketing content and channels to communicate with customers.”

When asked what consumers are expecting from brands these days, Hui said that consumers are hoping for brands to communicate in a more conversational and down-to-earth manner. He also said the key to this was to improvise and listen to what clients really need.

“Under the pandemic, our launch of ‘How to bank from home’ reminded clients they could relax at home and enjoy the financial services provided by our staff via zoom.”

Moving forward, HSBC will continue to personalise the customer experience by putting more resources into marketing technology and data analytics, as well as utilising automation while delivering personal financial management services.

The article is sponsored by HSBC.