According to HKTDC head of corporate marketing Anita Ma, the new brief will see DraftFCB devise a new corporate identity for the trade promotion body, which will then be applied across its seven ‘signature’ marketing campaigns. The initiative is being led by the HKTDC corporate marketing and corporate communications divisions.
“We believe there is better synergy if we can build our brand advertising under one umbrella,” said Ma. “The TDC has grown a lot. We started 40 years ago fairly simple, but now we have over 800 people and various events and advertising on an annual basis.”
According to one source involved in the review, the brief marks a significant departure from the HKTDC’s previous approach — which has often involved different departments releasing campaigns that have little in common.
“Because they have so many different campaigns, there hasn’t been a consistent look,” said the source.
“Being semi-Governmental, the marketing dollars are not at the same level as a commercial body — so a consistent look and feel is crucial because you have to maximise that.”
The key campaigns are expected to focus on Hong Kong and China, and are set to roll out in the third quarter of this year.
The final round of the tender reportedly involved three agencies, including BBDO.