The Work 2022 Contenders: Publicis Groupe Hong Kong

Campaign Brief recognises and showcases the great work that is being produced in the region with The Work 2022 Contenders…

HSBC: Art of Progress
Creative Agency: MSL Hong Kong
As modern Hong Kong investors focus on the latest trends, the importance of wisdom and traditional values has faded into the darkness. The future is cluttered with an unlimited amount of investment choices. But whom they can trust to provide reliable advice is limited.

HSBC, Hong Kong’s 156-year-old global bank, wanted to remind them that growth comes from being modern and responsive, while built on centuries of wisdom. It started with a Chinese proverb – “You must scale the mountains to view the plains” that inspired a modern interpretation of Chinese landscape paintings representing wealth.

A unique algorithm transformed meticulously illustrated elements of historic HSBC banknotes and the real-time market data of the Hang Seng Index, Hong Kong’s stock market index, into mountain ranges inspired by Hong Kong’s 552 peaks.

Mountains swell in size based on market volatility. Every 10 seconds, a new peak is formed. Every day, an original art piece is created.

New World Development: Discover the State Theatre in All of Us – Lost & Found
Agency: MSL Hong Kong, Saatchi & Saatchi Hong Kong
There was a time when Hong Kong’s cultural taste set the standard for the world. The lush, neon cityscapes of visionary directors. The birthplace of balletic action set pieces. But that was then.

Over the years the stage lights dimmed as unrest, upheaval and a pandemic cast their long shadows. There was no better symbol of this than Hong Kong’s storied State Theatre. Once a global stage for entertainment, it had fallen into disrepair. New World Development, a major local developer, was determined to revive Hong Kong’s cultural pride. So they recreated the State Theatre as an immersive, Instagrammable experience. This film, titled “Lost and Found”, is a celebration of New World’s immersive event before the grand restoration of the State Theatre. Inspired by the iconic worlds and textures that Wong Kar Wai used to premiere here, the film shows two characters losing themselves in the beauty of our living culture. And then finding themselves, as well as a newfound appreciation for preserving memories for generations to come.

Cathay: Life Elevated
Agency: Leo Burnett Hong Kong
Cathay unveils a delightful new film that announces its evolution from an airline to a premium travel lifestyle brand.

With the launch of Cathay, customers will enjoy rewards and curated experiences for dining, shopping, wellness and fitness, hotel stays as well as flights, all accessible from the ‘Elevate Your Life’ platform.

The film visualizes these rewards with a playful take on a magical world where the protagonist finds herself elevated. She explores a lush vegetable garden, a sea of dresses, a fitness galaxy, and a space filled with hotel chairs, only to discover that these scenes are all housed within Cathay’s new premium travel lifestyle brand. This philosophy is also echoed through its visual expressions in its suite of brand visuals.

Honor: Way to Wonders ft. Noonoouri
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Hong Kong / Publicis Sapient Shanghai
To launch the HONOR 50 smartphone to a generation of content creators, Honor created a magical story featuring virtual influencer Noonoouri, who falls down a rabbit hole and follows it all the ‘way to wonders’.

Designed like the content she normally vlogs on her social media platform, Noonouri launched the ‘way to wonders’ content film. Inspired by an ‘Alice in the Wonderland’ storyline, the film shows Noonoouri rediscovering and capturing all the wonderful moments around her in fantastical worlds. The film was also filled with visual cues that represented the smartphone. This was just one of the many types of content that Honor created with Noonoouri to share her metaverse moments with Honor.

Honor: Honor your smile
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Hong Kong / Publicis Sapient Shanghai
2022 was a year full of challenges. While it was a year where the crying emoji dominated the Twittersphere and people experienced one of the most challenging times in their lives, Honor wanted to ‘honor’ those who faced them all with a smile. Taking real-life stories from around the world as inspiration for each scene, the music film was launched at the end of the year before people made new year’s resolutions. This is a half music video, half year-end film because the music was written by Andy Love, an Italian music composer and producer, and performed by Sonna Rele, a famous British singer and Tik Tok star who sang the soundtrack of the Disney film ‘Cinderella’. The original music is called ‘Go Beyond’ which is inspired by Honor’s brand purpose.

The deadline for Campaign Brief’s The Work 2022 is Monday May 2. Entries are FREE with only an acceptance fee charged for those that make the cut. See full details and enter here… If your agency has entered The Work and would like to showcase your best work in our Contenders series email ricki@campaignbrief.com.