OOH birthday ads for injured concert dancer Mo Lee raise eyebrows

Severely injured concert dancer Mo Lee Kai Yin has once again dominated headlines after his loved ones set up out-of-home billboards for his 28th birthday, with some netizens questioning whether it is an appropriate move.  

According to a story on Molalafansclub, the official Instagram account of Lee’s supporters, it said the birthday billboards were prepared by Lee’s girlfriend SoChing and some of Lee’s close friends. “They all know Lee has gone through a lot of intensive medications and treatments over the past few weeks. So they want to encourage him by making him some surprises.”

Located at a bus station on Nathan Road in Mong Kok, one of the out-of-home ads features Lee in three different dancing styles, with some encouraging words such as “Faith, Love, Hope”, “We are with you”, together with numerous photos of Lee and his beloved family and friends.

However, this move has drawn mixed reactions as some netizens commented that this is not an appropriate birthday celebration for an injured person still staying in hospital, a check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw on local forum LIHKG.

Furthermore, a group of dancers have also organised a birthday celebration for Lee, which will start from 11 to 19 October at Haven Street in Causeway Bay. The organisor of the event said every guest that arrives will receive a feather sticker, representing a blessing and power of recovery and love for Lee.

On the other hand, Mirror concert organisers Music Nation and MakerVille have apologised to supporters again for the tragic incident back in late July and promised to release more details following the end of government investigations. 

In a joint statement released last Friday, the organisers said they opted for silence over the past two months as the results of government's official investigations were pending and they want to take good care of the injured dancers. 

"Immediately after the accident, the company hired independent third-party experts to assist us in the investigation and to understand the ins and outs of the incident. We also collected information from different details internally, including the preparation process and arrangement of the concert, the documents submitted to the relevant agencies and the on-site inspection report, as well as a series of additional safety measures that we have suggested," the statement said. 

"However, since the details may involve the contents of the investigation, please understand that the company has not been able to explain them one by one at this stage. The company understands that the public wants to learn more about the aforesaid details, so after the results of the investigation are announced, we will provide more details to the public without prejudice to any legal process," it added. 

The statement further explained that qualifications and experience are the primary considerations when it comes to appointing the production team, including the general contractor and producer who hold key positions in the concert. "The general contractor of this concert has more than 30 years of experience in the concert industry in China, and has held more than 600 concerts. In recent years, he has also organised nearly half of the concerts at Hong Kong Coliseum. The concert producer also has rich experience, and has been conceiving and designing concerts for many first-line singers and groups over the years. We understand that the public has high expectations for MIRROR concerts, so we chose to hire a team that is regarded as the top in the industry, rather than choosing a cheaper non-first-line team, and cost is not our primary consideration," it read. 

"In these two months, the physical and mental health of MIRROR members is one of our most important tasks and responsibilities. MIRROR debuted through the national star-making, starting from scratch with us, growing together, and having a relationship with each other like family. They have the heart to pursue their dreams, and we do our best to give them the greatest space, the strongest support, and the most resources," the statement said. 

"This incident has dealt a heavy blow to the entire team of the company and MIRROR, especially seeing the trouble caused by the incident to MIRROR fans and the general public, our apology and sadness are beyond words. In the future, we will continue to guard MIRROR and everything they represent, bring more hope and energy to the public, and respond to the expectations of the audience with practical actions," it added. 

(photo courtesy: FatAngelo.666's Instagram)

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