However, Hong Kong has always been a vibrant and entrepreneurial city with unique quirks and idiosyncrasies that gives the city its soul. So to answer the question, no, Hong Kong is not back to normal because the truth is, Hong Kong has never really been normal.
Tired of the negative headlines, a ground-up private sector initiative launches today, uniting Hong Kong Brands & Influencers behind Hong Kong Never Normal; a new platform that kicks off with a campaign that celebrates the city's extraordinary spirit with over 100 stories across the initial phase.
Big and small brands, content creators and influencers with roots in Hong Kong have come together to share stories around people, places, culture, lifestyle and brands that embody Hong Kong's Never Normal essence. The @HKNeverNormal Instagram page will feature original and collaborated social content to engage and inspire conversations.
Joanne Lao, CEO of TBWA, the creative agency that initiated this campaign, said, "Our ambition is to rekindle the pride HongKongers deserve to have towards their remarkable home city. While this launch phase aims to build awareness, engage and ignite buzz, future phases will involve more collaboration activities with our 'Hong Kong Never Normal' community of brands, creators and influencers".
Supporting partners include home grown brands and start-ups across 12 industry sectors including art, beauty, entertainment, education, food and beverage, fashion, hotels, lifestyle, media, non-profit, retail, sustainability, technology and traditional Chinese medicine. Full list of partners below.
In addition, individuals and influencers from many facets of Hong Kong are generously sharing their Hong Kong Never Normal perspectives in support of the campaign, including film director/actor Stephen Fung, business influencer Allan Zeman, 5-time Olympic swimmer Stephanie Au, singer/songwriter Serrini Leung and comedians Jordan Leung and Vivek Mahbubani.
Be inspired by the energy, entrepreneurism and creativity of Hong Kong and its people. Visit Instagram @HKNeverNormal and the website hknevernormal.com
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Final List of Assets included here:
Hong Kong Never Normal Thematic Video – H:30 ENG
Hong Kong Never Normal Thematic Video – V:30 ENG
Hong Kong Never Normal Thematic Video– H:30 TC
Hong Kong Never Normal Thematic Video– V:30 TC
NOTES TO EDITOR – PARTNER QUOTES & INFORMATION
Girish Jhunjhnuwala, Founder and Executive Chairman of Hong Kong based Ovolo Group said, "Nothing is ever 'normal' in Hong Kong – and that's what makes it so special. We should leave normal behind and take pride in the city's eclecticism. This is a positive, and accurate narrative for Hong Kong that is authentic and confident."
"Hong Kong is part of Animoca Brands' DNA and the essence of our identity. As pioneers of digital property rights in Web3, we've witnessed firsthand this city's extraordinary blend of resilience and innovation. That's why we're supporting Hong Kong Never Normal, which embodies the spirit of a city that adapts to change," said Evan Auyang, Group President of Animoca Brands.
According to Marco So, Co-Founder of Factiv, Hong Kong's innovative beauty startup, "This campaign reflects the spirit of our brand and our belief in coming together to support the city together. In developing our brand, we rejected the norms of gender and age specific skin care products, proudly making science based products in Hong Kong, for HongKongers, especially for Hong Kong's humid weather!".
PARTNERS
In alphabetical order
| Official Brand Partners | Story Partners | Influencers/individuals |
| 9GAG | A Spark of Madness | Allan Zeman @allanzeman |
| Animoca Brands | BeCandle | Chaotic Hong Kong Expats @chaoshongkong |
| Asiaray Media Group | Broken Finger Plus | Evelyn CHOI Wing Yan @evelynchoii |
| Easy Group | COA Hong Kong | Hong Kong Memes @hkmehmeh |
| Fleishman Hillard | Eu Yan Sang | Jordan Leung @69ranch |
| Fork Lore | Factiv | Serrini LEUNG Ka Yan @gwendolyn.spot |
| Greater Bay Media Entertainment (GBME) | Hotel ICON | Stephanie AU Hoi Shun @stephaniehsau |
| Hong Kong Community Foundation | Mil Mill | Stephen FUNG Tak Lun @stephenfungible |
| HYPEBEAST | MPS International Consultancy | Vian LIN Ka Wing @vian_vn |
| Index Game | N.I.P. Gin - Hong Kong Craft Distilling Co. | Vivek Mahbubani @funnyvivek |
| LKF Group | Pirata Group | |
| Media OutReach Newswire | Pomme | |
| Ocean Park Hong Kong | Rooftop Republic | |
| Ovolo Group | Sleepyhead | |
| South China Morning Post | The Lion Rock Press | |
| TBWA\ | The Savory Project | |
| The Sandbox | Tuck Chong Sum Kee Bamboo Steamer Co. | |
| Young Soy Gallery | ||
| Yuet Wo |
Hashtag: #HongKongNeverNormal
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
