A survey conducted by OMD probing the attitudes of Hong Kong's opinion leaders found that they are more likely to splash out on pricey designer labels in order to feel good and less inclined to save than their contemporaries in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
"Instant gratification is higher in Hong Kong than it is in other markets," said Florence Oong, OMD's regional director of communication insights.
OMD also discovered that more people in Hong Kong prioritised making money and pursuing a career than in other markets, and more found single life as fulfilling as marriage, both factors helping drive up the amount of disposable income potentially up for grabs from smart advertisers.
However, Hong Kong advertisers need to work harder to win over this free-spending group.
Less than a third of the people questioned, dubbed 'Power Consumers' by OMD, enjoyed watching TV ads, compared with over half of the population as a whole.
Less than a third of Power Consumers said advertising increased their trust in products, while only a quarter agreed that they would occasionally buy things because of good advertising -- results which were significantly lower than the SAR's average.
"Power consumers are more discerning, more sceptical than the rest of the population," Oong said, recommending that advertisers rethink how they target this critical audience.
This group, comprising about one fifth of the population, with an average monthly income of just over HK$20,000 (US$2,564), also turned out to be significantly higher consumers of media, increasing opportunities for creative media planning.