HSBC HK reimagines ancient heroes battling financial challenges in new campaign

HSBC Hong Kong has unveiled a new campaign that reimagines three Chinese ancient heroes battling modern financial challenges, to promote the summer deals to its credit card users.

Also known as “Ancient heroes, modern deals: Step into the future with the HSBC Red Hot Festival”, the campaign is available from July until August this year in the Hong Kong market. 

Targeting credit card holders aged between 24 and 45 who don't just spend but conquer, the idea of the campaign revolves around the legendary “Three Kingdoms” heroes namely “Kuan Yu” (關羽), “Liu Bei” (劉備), and “Zhang Fei” (張飛) and the three characters are catapulted into 2024.  

Their mission is to conquer the urban jungle with HSBC's unbeatable summer offers, including exclusive discounts, cashback rewards, amongst others.  

The campaign also reimagines the three ancient heroes facing modern dilemmas, said HSBC’s spokesperson in a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.  

“Each swipe of an HSBC card transforms financial challenges into victories, with Kuan scoring VIP concert tickets with a single tap; Liu turning everyday purchases into a treasure trove of rewards; and Zhang becoming a forex wizard overnight. 

The campaign also features the stellar cast of award-winning actor Michael Ning, rising action heroes Tony Wu Tsz Tung and German Cheung Man Kit  from the local action movie 'Twilight of the heroes: Walled In 九龍城寨之圍城'. 

Done in collaboration with local creative agency Hungry Digital and media agency OMG, the campaign has utilised the concept of ancient heroes in modern times to create a memorable campaign, HSBC’s spokesperson told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.  

It aims to focus on HSBC credit card benefits in each episode, blending entertainment with product education. It also prioritises digital platforms to reach the tech-savvy audience and collaborate with influencers to amplify the campaign's reach. 

The campaign also aligns with the annual HSBC credit card mega-promotion, introducing the "Most red show pass (最紅睇 Show 通行證)", the golden ticket to priority booking for must-see shows. 

The campaign will be amplified via multiple channels including six mini-episodes on various digital video platforms, outdoor billboard and 12 sheet posters at MTR stations, paid social, in-app mobile ads, display ads, YouTube Trueview and owned social channels such as Facebook and Instagram.  

HSBC Hong Kong has also partnered with different social media celebrities to co-create content under the theme of legendary Three Kingdoms heroes. 

Cheuk Shum, head of marketing, wealth and personal banking, HSBC, Hong Kong said: "In a world bombarded by sales messages, we have chosen to entertain. Our storyline may be humorous, but our offers are extremely serious. By reimagining ancient heroes battling modern financial challenges with HSBC cards, we're not just promoting - we're storytelling.” 

“This summer, we bring laughter, savings, and a touch of legend to Hong Kong. So, the real question is: In the face of modern financial challenges, which warrior will you embody? The loyalty of Kuan Yu? The wisdom of Liu Bei? Or the boldness of Zhang Fei? Curious about my choice? Visit my LinkedIn profile to check it out,” he added. 

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