Hungry Ghost Festival special: HK marketers recall their scariest moments

The Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival, which lands on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month every year, will fall on August 30 this year. As the King of Hell opens the Gates of the Ghosts, the phantoms have a shortchance to wander on earth, according to Chinese mythology.

Meanwhile, amidst the long nights and exhausting workloads, it's certain that many professionals in the marketing industry have encountered their own hair-raising experiences during the chilling Hungry Ghost Festival.

In light of this, we've approached industry insiders to reveal some of the spine-chilling moments within this ecosystem.

Here are some of their horrific moments.

Jeffrey Wong, director of marketing and PR, Bakehouse

A few years ago, I worked in a boutique agency. One night after a few days of hard work, I finally finished a pitch deck but it was 12:30 midnight already and I was the only one left in the office. Therefore I quickly packed my belongings, switched off the lights and left. While I was waiting for the elevator, I heard someone talking but I was not paying attention as I was half dead. As soon as the lift door closed after I entered, I heard children laughing – children laughing at 12:30 am in a commercial building! The spooky laughter lasted throughout my ride down and I had never been that awake.

Wilson Wong, marketing director, Price.com.hk

The scary story happened in my fourth year as a media planner.

While handling Facebook media buys, I stumbled upon a devious trap disguised as a simple "$" symbol. Can you believe it? A "$" does not necessarily mean the Hong Kong dollar, but the US dollar! This spooky encounter taught me a valuable lesson and remains one of the most unforgettable moments of my career.

Stay sharp, fellow media planners, as you never know when a mischievous symbol might send shivers down your spine.

Philip Chau, vice president of marketing, Regal Hotels International

In my previous company, the team had been working on a major campaign. It was a high-profile project, and a lot of budget and effort were poured into it. There is a lot of expectation around it from various stakeholders.

On the event day, I arrived at the venue. I walked past some of my co-workers as I was heading to the event hall. Then I saw that there was nobody there. I literally got cold sweat and the chills and I have never been more scared. It is certainly a marketer’s worst nightmare to have no one show up to your event.

Well, it turned out I went to the wrong hall.

Gian Chan, associate director, Sanrio Company

Many years ago, I was working for the event management team at a prominent venue in Hong Kong and often had to work late at night alone. Strange noises would sometimes be heard coming from the women’s bathroom closest to my work area, even when I was alone on the premises.

I remember hearing footsteps, specifically high heels clicking across the floor when there was no one there. I even heard unidentifiable voices echoing from the last empty bathroom stall as if someone was in there when I was alone in the bathroom – or so I thought! The hair on the back of the neck would stand. Thinking back, I am still finding the experience creepy!

Arthur Wan, general manager, Shopback Hong Kong

Years ago I was in Macau for a business trip, I rented a long-stay hotel room and stayed there mostly during the weekdays. My colleagues, who regularly visited from Hong Kong to support our team, also occasionally stayed at the same hotel.

One evening, a colleague was going to meet me at the hotel lobby for dinner. I waited for a long time in the hotel lobby and did not see any sign of him. I called him several times, but there was no answer so I asked the hotel staff for assistance. She said he had already checked in and turned to speak with her manager. After a few uneasy whispers, I overheard the manager asking the staff, “Have you checked the fire refuge floor?”

The staff went up to the fire refuge floor and had found my colleague with his luggage wandering around the fire refuge floor which was all dark out. When we asked him, he had no recollection of what happened! The hotel staff escorted him safely back to the lobby and snapped him out of it. Needless to say, I moved away from that hotel ever since.

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