Top 10 strongest brands in Hong Kong

As we enter the post-pandemic era, challenges such as recession and talent crunch, still place local brands and companies in a difficult situation. However, we are seeing a lot of businesses with greater brand power having delivered superior shareholder return, having shown greater resilience and recovered faster in times of crisis.

That's why WPP global design agency Design Bridge and Partners and Kantar have released the inaugural ranking of the Kantar BrandZ Top 30 Strongest Brands in Hong Kong to celebrate the excellence within the local market. Measuring 129 brands across nine categories over a two-year period, the report revealed the strongest brands with the most cultural power and equity: those that build emotional connection with their audience, differentiate from competition, and mean the most to consumers.

One of the key contrasts for brands coming to life in the report is novelty versus nostalgia. There is an insatiable appetite for novelty in Hong Kong, with businesses and consumers embracing and often leading market and technological innovation. The report also revealed the theme of ‘value-seeking’. HongKongers love bargains and prefer to feel that they’re ‘gaming the system’; this explains why so many brands offer great value or help consumers seek out the best deals.

Another key takeaway from the report is that strong brands deliver seamless digital and physical experiences. Customer needs, as in other markets, are at the centre of the Hong Kong brand experience. Although the pandemic accelerated digitalisation here in Hong Kong as it has globally, strong brands in Hong Kong have also acknowledged the importance of the ‘in real life’ (IRL) experience, a very important driver of overall customer experience.

Hannah Duley, managing director at Design Bridge and Partners Hong Kong said: “Tomorrow’s world is placing more challenges on brands and their business, with harder-to-please consumer expectations and harder-to-predict market trends. But businesses that invest in their brands, especially in the age of disruption and volatility, still outperform in the market. It has proved that great brand design often comes with great brand results, both tangible and intangible. With the power of design, brands can give unity to every diverse aspect to form a compelling brand and create distinct meanings.”

Meanwhile, Jason Spencer, managing director at Kantar BrandZ said: “Hong Kong has always been seen as a land full of contradictions. This inaugural report reinforces this juxtaposition clearly as we see how dramatically different brands appear side by side in the rankings. With this in mind, pinpointing the DNA of a HK brand we found was a difficult task and in the endend, we realised that it was a futile one as there is no one way to define what a Hong Kong brand truly is – they have dual utility and leverage the best of both worlds no matter the context.” 

Let's take a look at the top 10 strongest brands in Hong Kong that have been put together by Kantar and Design Bridge and Partners. 

1. HSBC

Established in 1865, HSBC has earned its reputation by delivering quality banking and financial services to consumers. More importantly, it positions as a bank that connects Hong Kong to the world and the world with Hong Kong.

HSBC’s recent AI-powered campaign “Wealth Decoded” featuring Hong Kong comedian and actor Dayo Wong and "AI Dayo", has created buzz on social media as the bank looks to engage with a wider audience by delivering out-of-the-box ideas that leverages the latest AI trend.

2. Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific has been working hard on brand building and evolved from just an airline to become a premium travel lifestyle brand.

Back in March this year, Cathay Pacific has partnered with Hong Kong-based woodwork atelier Start From Zero to launch two products handcrafted from recycled wood, including a mahjong set and a special edition upcycled galley container, as part of Cathay's commitment to sustainability. 

It is also committed to contribute to the sustainable development in Hong Kong with net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, leading the way to a more sustainable future for aviation.

3. yuu

Yuu is a digital platform that encompasses a host of brands under the DFI Retail Group that build awareness and drive consumers to join with a massive marketing campaign launched in 2020.

With a range of different initiatives, Yuu highlights the focus on the customer and creating as much value as possible on a daily basis. 

4. MTR

MTR aims to be an internationally recognised company that connects and grows communities with caring, innovative and sustainable services. 

Its recent campaigns include an escalator safety-themed creative campaign that leverages Japanese manga series Chibi Maruko Chan (櫻桃小丸子). 

Leveraging Chan's interesting “play safe” philosophy, Tsang said the campaign invited her as the safety ambassador of MTR to educate on safety awareness when using escalators by observing the common behaviours of Hong Kong people in the form of a typical Japanese variety show.

5. McDonald’s HK

McDonald's is committed to fulfilling corporate social responsibility, building a sustainable community and creating values for the environment and society at large. 

To further convey its brand vision and message, it has delivered a number of creative campaigns in Hong Kong to engage with a wider audience. For example, the brand has recently partnered up with DDB Group Hong Kong to unveil McNuggets' 40th anniversary campaign, which includes launching a chicken McNuggets art exhibition and creating the first McDonald's-themed metaverse gaming experience.

The campaign first places McNuggets inside Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, available from 29 July. Done in collaboration withmulti-hyphenate creative director Kevin Poon, the pop art exhibition dedicated entirely to the McNuggetswill open at the ArtsPavilion – the "Coach McNugget Art World". The Arts Pavilion will be transformed into an immersive journey that fuses art, technology, and culture, featuring multinational creatives. 

6. Hang Seng Bank

Hang Seng is a brand that has a strong history as a local bank providing a diverse range of services to customers from all walks of life.

Recently, Hang Seng Bank has launched its 90th anniversary campaign that revolves around customer centricity, while highlighting its forward-looking attitude to demonstrate the reasons why they should bank with it.

Unlike its previous campaigns, the 90th anniversary campaign is much more dimensional and more engaging to younger customers and internal staff as it has collaborated with six local illustrators to create limited edition “Me and My Favourite Place” themed phone cases as part of the campaign. 

7. AIA 

AIA is a Hong Kong-headquartered pan-Asian insurance group that began its operations in Hong Kong in 1931.

It has been successfully shifting its paradigm from a life insurance company to a purpose-driven organization that focuses on life, health and wellness solutions keeping its brand purpose of “Healthier Longer Better Lives” at the forefront.

8. SmarTone

SmarTone leads the market in consumer fundamentals such as customer experience, convenience and trust in the past 30 years.

It has pioneered offers such as Hong Kong’s first Home 5G broadband service, launched in September 2020.

9. foodpanda HK

In recent years, foodpanda Hong Kong has shifted from a period of hyper-growth focused on awareness building and customer acquisition to a more balanced approach.

Back in April this year, foodpanda Hong Kong has launched its first 24/7 pandamart offline-to-online (O2O) concept store in APAC in response to the growth of quick commerce in Hong Kong.

Located in Sai Ying Pun, the concept store adopts an omnichannel retail strategy with online and offline channel integration. Furthermore, together with Singapore, pick-up service is now available at pandamart, enhancing the user shopping experience, fulfilling the needs of customers, and continuing the brand's mission of building a sustainable brand ecosystem. 

10. Manulife HK

Manulife has grown to become one of the city’s top providers of financial services, offering a diverse range of protection and wealth products and services to 2.4 million customers in Hong Kong and Macau.

Due to the pandemic, Manulife launched several marketing campaigns and new products in Hong Kong which supported customers on the road to health recovery and met the needs upon diagnosis.

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