COMMENT: Wake up Hong Kong, Shanghai is ready to grab your spotlight

<p>If anyone said that Shanghai would need at least another decade to catch </p><p>up with Hong Kong's economic might, tell them to wake up and smell the </p><p>competition. It's going to be sooner than that. A lot sooner. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The transformation is accelerating, and it's being helped by the </p><p>continuing corporate exodus north as disposable income rises. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While Hong Kong suffers a bad case of spending blues, China's consumers </p><p>- especially younger ones - are keeping cash registers ringing. Urban </p><p>dwellers are no less sophisticated than Hong Kong consumers. This is </p><p>where difficulties lie. Research shows a bad case of advertising fatigue </p><p>setting in. This may seem ludicrous given that Chinese television was </p><p>nothing but bland fare on black and white sets 10 years ago. Admittedly, </p><p>part of the blame lies with regulations requiring stations to run </p><p>advertising in blocks between programmes. However, having seen some of </p><p>the ads, there is another explanation why this has happened so quickly. </p><p>Some of the advertising is good, even excellent, but the industry </p><p>desperately needs to bring creative and other standards up. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>So it's heartening to see the industry's keen interest in </p><p>self-improvement. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The people of Shanghai are hungry for success - whether it's to restore </p><p>the city to its pre-1949 glory days or to improve their standard of </p><p>living or their craft. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The recent AdAsia China Clio Creative Conference is a case in point. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Hundreds of young creatives flocked to this event to listen to top </p><p>regional and international CDs discuss how to develop effective and </p><p>impactful advertising. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>And how they peppered speakers with questions: "When should humour be </p><p>used, when shouldn't it be used?" "What are the different approaches to </p><p>developing an image ad versus a tactical ad?" Other questions were more </p><p>self-serving: "Does your agency have any vacancies and how can I apply?" </p><p>to M&C Saatchi's chairman James Lowther. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Sadly, with its never-ending series of operational glitches, the event </p><p>failed to live up to the keen interest and lively minds of the </p><p>audience. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>One speaker was so irked that he demanded a microphone to berate the </p><p>organiser, saying the show was a poor advertisement for Shanghai and </p><p>China. Judging by the wild cheers, fellow delegates obviously agreed </p><p>with him. This was one of several outbursts. Such an incident would have </p><p>been unimaginable some years ago when few Chinese wouldn think of </p><p>questioning authority. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Those days are long gone. China is on a fast track to becoming an </p><p>economic superpower and its people won't be held back, even in things </p><p>like brushing up their English language skills, something that Hong Kong </p><p>seems uninterested in doing. Whatever Hong Kong's Chief Secretary Donald </p><p>Tsang may say about Shanghai not being in competition with its southern </p><p>sibling, Hong Kong has been served notice. Shanghai is on a drive to </p><p>improve itself, including its marketing communication capabilities. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>And one more thing: Shanghai will not settle for second best. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>ahille@media.com.hk. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>