HK Digital Advertising Start-ups X Publishing (Writers) Promotion Support Scheme Fosters Talent

HONG KONG, July 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With the support from Create Hong Kong ("CreateHK") of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR Government") as the lead sponsor, Hong Kong's inaugural scheme to support both digital advertising and publishing sectors - Hong Kong Digital Advertising Start-ups X Publishing (Writers) Promotion Support Scheme ("the Support Scheme") was launched by the Hong Kong Association of Interactive Marketing ("HKAIM"). Through the provision of professional guidance and funding resources, the Support Scheme aims at fostering the collaboration between local digital advertising start-ups and new and emerging writers for them to create more innovative digital advertisements. HKAIM held the Awards presentation Ceremony for Digital Advertising (for Publishing) Awards Competition on 4 July to recognize the outstanding digital advertising campaigns produced under the Support Scheme.

The Support Scheme provides comprehensive support to a total of 12 local digital advertising start-ups, each of which is paired up with a unit of local new and emerging writer to form a project team to launch a customized digital advertising campaign for the designated book of the writer. During the cooperation period, the 12 project teams launched their individual digital advertising campaigns for the writers and the designated books.

To encourage the project teams, HKAIM held the Award Presentation Ceremony of Digital Advertising (for Publishing) Competition on 4 July to present the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Merit awards, awardees of which are selected by a professional judging panel, and the "My Favorite Digital Advertising (for Publishing) Award" voted by the public. HKAIM is honored to have Mr. Victor TSANG, Head of CreateHK, HKSAR Government, as the officiating guest at the ceremony. He was accompanied by Mr. Ralph SZETO, Chairman, HKAIM, and Dr. Elvin LEE, Chairman, Hong Kong Publishing Federation to share the joy with the awardees.

Mr. Victor TSANG, Head of CreateHK, HKSAR Government, thanked HKAIM for organizing the Support Scheme, as well as the Hong Kong Publishing Federation and the Hong Kong Publishing Professionals Society for encouraging the active participation of publishers.   

At the Award Presentation Ceremony, Mr. Ralph SZETO, Chairman of HKAIM, expressed his heartfelt thanks to CreateHK of the HKSAR Government for sponsoring the Support Scheme, which has provided comprehensive professional training and production resources for local digital advertising start-ups, with a view to fostering and injecting new impetus into the creative industries for the latter's flourishing prosperity, and providing more diversified promotional opportunities for the new and emerging writers and their designated books.

"I believe the Support Scheme is a beginning to pave the way for future collaboration between the digital advertising and publishing sectors to produce more outstanding digital advertising campaigns for Hong Kong's creative industries," Mr. SZETO said.

He also congratulated all the awardees on their achievements and expressed his sincerest thanks for the concerted efforts by the 12 project teams in helping set a new trend for promoting the publishing industry.

Distinguished Digital Advertisements Promote Cross-Sector Cooperation

It is recognized that the digital advertisements produced by the 12 project teams under the Support Scheme are well-performed. "The ideas and creativity presented by the participating digital advertising start-ups in these digital advertisements are professional and in good quality," said one of the judges, Ms. Candy Tam, MH, Vice-Chairman, Growing in Reading.

Another judge, Mr. David Hui, a veteran publisher also commented that, "the digital advertising campaigns promulgate the content, concepts and unique characteristics of the designated books featured in these campaigns."

The judging panel widely agreed that each project team has devoted their best efforts in contributing innovative ideas to their digital advertising campaigns that match with the themes of the designated books, and these campaigns were executed in such a high quality that surpassed the judges' expectations. 

The 12 digital advertising campaigns produced under the Support Scheme have attained approximately 10 million reach and nearly 1.2 million engagements, with more than 6 million viewership. Such success brought extensive and long-term benefits, which exceed mere increase of sales figures, to the participating new and emerging writers and their designated books. They are rewarded with positive reputation and popularity through the interactive digital advertising, which helped them establish deeper connection and communication with their readers. In addition, accompanied with the increased exposure that enables the new and emerging writers and their designated books to have diversified opportunities for further development, more attempts in different formats of online promotion can be implemented by their publishing companies to broaden their horizons in advertising promotion.

Awardees for the Digital Advertising (for Publishing) Competition are as follows:

Both M&ME Creative Limited and Tee Building Infinity Company Limited's Campaigns Awarded Gold Award in Digital Advertising (for Publishing)

One of the Gold Awards of Digital Advertising (for Publishing) goes to the advertising campaign created by the digital advertising start-up, M&ME Creative Limited, for the "Gwaimui's Hong Kong Story" published by Commercial Press (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. The interesting and innovative campaign aims to promote the writer Cappio Christine Eugenie (Pen name: Christine Cappio) by utilizing different online platforms. Referencing Hong Kong's classic immigration advertisements, the advertisement campaign by M&ME Creative Limited taught the public how to become a Hong Konger, and succeeded in creating a distinctively positive image for the writer.
Summary video of M&ME Creative Limited's digital advertising campaign: https://bit.ly/2IpvXzn

Another award-winning digital advertising campaign for the Gold Award is "Teacher, you are good!" created by the Tee Building Infinity Company Limited, for the "Teachers: Guardian Angels of Students", published by Breakthrough Ltd. The campaign aimed at promoting the life-giving spirit of the writer, WONG Kit Man, through a four-frame comic contest of  "If you are Miss Wong", two online clips under the themes of  "Secret Teacher Appreciation Banquet" and "True heart of Miss Wong", storytelling and other promotional activities. Targeting at students, parents, teachers and social workers, the digital advertising campaign succeeded in demonstrating the enthusiasm of Miss Wong for education to countless online audience. Miss Wong was even invited to share her teaching experience after the campaign. The campaign was so successful that it also won the "My Favorite Digital Advertising (for Publishing) Award", voted by the public.
Summary video of the digital advertising campaign of Tee Building Infinity Company Limited's: https://bit.ly/2ZtU5q3

Silver Award Winner, GENIDEAN Limited, Created a Down-to-earth Campaign #Old Soldiers Project

The silver award winner is the #Old Soldier Project created by GENIDEAN Limited for Dr. KWONG Chi Wan's publication "Old Soldiers Never Die: Hong Kong Chinese Servicemen in the British Armed Forces, 1840-1997" published by the Joint Publishing (HK) Ltd. Making use of pop art, music, custom-made souvenirs and other peripheral settings as complementary elements, the campaign succeeded in overthrowing the stereotype of "history is boring" by showcasing the rich content of the book through multimedia, offline and online activities.
Summary video of GENIDEAN Limited's digital advertising campaign: https://bit.ly/2JfhdSW

Bronze Award winner, SociaLink Consultancy Limited's Rescues People with Amnesia

The Bronze Award goes to the "Association Creates Memory" campaign created by SociaLink Consultancy Limited for the "Illustrated Associative Memory Method: for History, Chinese and English vocabulary, English Grammar, and Japanese syllabary" written by MA Hing Wai, WONG Yin and LI Kam Fung and published by Ming Pao Publishing Co., Ltd. The campaign introduced the associative memory method in a lively and interesting style through the "Amnesia Rescue Room" Facebook page. The dedicated Facebook page features interesting and lively content produced by the writers, who demonstrated the simple yet playful associative memory method in various short clips. Together with other clips of street interviews and impressive demonstrations by children of stenography posted on the Facebook page, the campaign succeeded in addressing the needs of both parents and students and arousing overwhelming interests from the netizens. 
Summary video of SociaLink Consultancy Limited's digital advertising campaign: https://bit.ly/2WQbuN0

Both Rabbit Studio Limited and SUGARCOAT Receive Merit Awards for Their Campaigns

One of the Merit Award winners is the "Want to be a superhero?" campaign created by Rabbit Studio Limited with microfilms based on the plot of "Reboot" (Writer: Fatmoonba, Publisher: Today Publications Ltd), the only novel selected to participate in the Support Scheme. Same as the novel, the microfilms are set in first-person cinematic perspective of the main character. Moreover, questions on the microfilms were designed as social media posts, which have succeeded in provoking heated discussions among the audience.
Summary video of Rabbit Studio Limited's digital advertising campaign: https://bit.ly/2WQd951 

Another Merit Award winner is the campaign named "Yamanaka Yuko w.sugarcoat- mountaineering without wading" created by SUGARCOAT for the "Tale of Mountain", written by Wong Chi Keung and CHEUNG Ching Yu (Pen Name: Yamanaka Yuko) and published by Ming Pao Publishing Co., Ltd. Coupled with fine illustration design and all-rounded digital advertising strategy, the advertising campaign brought netizens from online promotion to offline exhibitions and guided tours, and successfully created a community to foster interaction between the writers and their readers.
Summary video of SUGARCOAT's digital advertising campaign: https://bit.ly/2XtdDxH

Winning teams to Share Creative Experience and Accomplishments in Digital Advertising

The Support Scheme will further join the "Hong Kong Book Fair 2019" by setting up a promotional booth (3con034-035) to showcase the 12 digital advertisements produced under the Support Scheme and the designated books featured in these digital advertisements for the appreciation by the trade practitioners and general public. A sharing session cum seminar will also be held in Conference Room S224-225 of Hong Kong Conventional and Exhibition Centre at 11 am on 18 July 2019 for the awardees and professionals to share their creative experience and achievements in digital advertising. The sharing session by awardees cum seminar by professionals is open for free admission via prior online registration (https://forms.gle/GPDP2HoMCQzsvsKy9).

The HK Digital Advertising Start-ups X Publishing (Writers) Promotion Support Scheme Digital Advertising (for Publishing) Competition Awardee List:

The 12 pairs of digital advertising start-ups and new and emerging writers participating in the Support Scheme are listed in random order, please visit: https://www.digiad.hk/participant-info/ 

For more details about the Support Scheme, please visit:
Official website: http://publish.digiad.hk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdxPub/
Dropbox: https://bit.ly/2x06aXR
Organizer: Hong Kong Association of Interactive Marketing
Lead Sponsor: Create Hong Kong of the HKSAR Government
Lead Supporting Organizations: Hong Kong Publishing Federation
                                                    Hong Kong Publishing Professionals Society
                                                    Hong Kong Trade Development Council

Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organizers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, Create Hong Kong, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.