TBWA HK’s Martin Manho and Gaius Kwong win Young Kam Fan, gear up for Cannes Young Lions

TBWA Hong Kong’s Martin Manho and Gaius Kwong have won the Young Kam Fan award, earning a trip to Cannes to compete in the Cannes Young Lions competition. Campaign Brief Asia spoke with the pair to learn more about their Young Kam Fan experience and what they hope to achieve at Cannes.

The Young Kam Fan brief was: More and more Hong Kongers are heading to mainland China or travelling overseas, diverting significant household spending away from local businesses. Despite great efforts from the government and local industries, it still failed to keep Hong Kongers to stay and spend. Many residents no longer see compelling reasons to prioritize local spending when cheaper/faster alternatives are just a short trip away.

The task was to develop a positive, out-of-the-box, pride-led campaign that encourages Hong Kong residents to appreciate and re-engage with the unique value, character, and emotional resonance of their home city. They needed to identify and articulate one or more unique value propositions of Hong Kong that can meaningfully motivate residents to stay, explore, and spend within their own city. These values should serve as the strategic foundations for the campaign.

Manho and Kwong explain their idea summary: “When retail vouchers and discounts failed to retain Hong Kongers, we realised the problem wasn’t just about price, it was about perception. Hong Kongers aren’t simply leaving for cheaper options; they’re leaving in search of novelty, because the city has become too familiar. To reignite local pride and consumption, we tapped into a deeply ingrained local behaviour: complaining. In Hong Kong, people complain about everything. From crowded streets and public transport to endless food choices. But in doing so, they’ve stopped noticing what makes the city extraordinary. So, we asked: what if we could weaponise this instinct and turn complaints into a new lens for rediscovery?”

“This led to the Hong Kong Department of Complaints (香港呻訴署), a fictional government department that transforms everyday complaints into unexpected compliments, revealing the hidden novelty and everyday flexes of the city.”

The campaign came to life through a deadpan launch film featuring a classic complaining “uncle” whose rants turn into praise, a series of sarcastic OOH that reframe local complaints into compliments, and an interactive platform where Hong Kongers submit complaints and receive playful responses. This campaign aims to remind Hong Kongers that the best things about the city have been there all along, we just needed to see it differently.

On the experience, Manho added: “The experience taught me to have full confidence in the idea you believe will work, and go all in. If you don’t believe in it, you can’t expect anyone else to.”

Kwong said: “It’s been a roller coaster of a ride, the time pressure really pushed us to our limits, but it ended up being such a good learning experience. We were a bit messy at times, but honestly that’s when the ‘aha’ idea showed up, and it reminded me to trust the process.”

What are you expecting from Cannes Young Lions?
“I’m really looking forward to it. I expect Cannes Young Lions to be an incredibly fun and inspiring experience, a chance to learn a lot and push my creativity to the next level. It’s also an opportunity to meet and connect with some of the best creatives from around the world, exchange ideas, and gain new perspectives. I’m excited to challenge myself, step out of my comfort zone, and just soak in everything the experience has to offer,” said Manho.

Kwong said: “I’m expecting to be equally inspired and challenged. I’m excited to meet other young creatives from around the world and see great work up close, and I’m also expecting a tough brief – hopefully the kind that makes you a little nervous. That whole sprint from concept to execution under pressure is what really pushes me, and it’s a big reason why I love what we do.”