Whatever you believe the Year of the Dragon brings, some things, like gold, will fear no fire.
Dauntless brands in Hong Kong too, are confident about increasing bottom line growth, no matter what lies ahead. Their assurance stems from a winning trio of marketing elements that has helped them convert customers.
The tried-and-true trifecta boils down to the use of creative storytelling, multiformat video content, and AI-powered campaigns. But to maximise its impact, it’s critical to choose the right platform — one that’s versatile enough to deliver on all three fronts while meeting business objectives.
Savvy brands in Hong Kong tap YouTube’s versatility to engage audiences with multiformat content, creative storytelling, and AI-powered campaigns.
That’s why brands in Hong Kong turn to YouTube, which over 5.5 million people watch in the global financial centre daily,1 and over 2 million people stream on their TV in a month.2
It’s the No. 1 platform that allows Hong Kong viewers to access a wide variety of content types,3 and its creative storytelling spans multiple formats, with 61% of viewers watching short-form video on the platform.4
The e-commerce brand YesStyle, for instance, captured the attention of Gen Z audiences on YouTube Shorts with trendy beauty videos that grew organic views of its Shorts content by 10X. This bagged it a 2023 YouTube Works Awards Hong Kong win in the Best Creative: Shorts category.
Other leading brands, including the following three: HSBC, Casetify, and Futu Securities, have similarly used YouTube’s winning trifecta to maximise their bespoke marketing strategies, meet custom audience needs, and deliver business impact.
HSBC: Winning millennials with a full-funnel strategy on three fronts
With 54% of millennials in Hong Kong and Singapore having no financial plan, there’s a need for this generation to be equipped to manage their money. HSBC’s all-in-one banking account and app, HSBC One, provides such a service.
To keep its product top-of-mind for millennials at every stage of the wealth journey, HSBC launched a full-funnel marketing strategy. It did so on YouTube, since ads in videos on the platform make 83% of viewers in Hong Kong more likely to consider a brand or product, and play a crucial role in helping 80% of viewers make purchase decisions.5
The video campaign starred celebrities Dee and Aaron who’re well-loved by Hong Kong millennials. It also used a popular movie slogan, “everything is wrong,” to catch the attention of audiences and point out common misconceptions about investment.
HSBC’s full-funnel YouTube strategy delivered:
YouTube’s versatile creative capabilities further helped bring HSBC’s message to life in a mix of long and short video formats that were amplified with Google’s AI-powered advertising campaigns.
Video reach campaigns let it optimise its ad mix for awareness, and video ad sequencing delivered relevant content to customers, wherever they were in their purchase journey. Its attention-grabbing content on YouTube Shorts helped to deepen product understanding, and Video action campaigns delivered content with a clear call-to-action to audiences most likely to convert.
Its comprehensive marketing strategy, which garnered stellar results on YouTube, snagged it wins in three categories at the 2023 YouTube Works Awards Hong Kong: Grand Prix, Best Creative: Multi-video Storytelling, and Best Full-funnel Campaign.
Casetify: Engaging Gen Z with eco values to grow bottom lines
As environmental awareness grows, the Hong Kong-based tech accessories brand Casetify wanted to engage eco-conscious Gen Z shoppers. So the brand shared its sustainability story on YouTube, which 88% of Hong Kong viewers aged 18 to 24 agree has content that allows them to go deep with what they love.6
Casetify had launched a creative upcycling effort and worked with three global artists to transform discarded phone cases into new products and works of art. The process was documented on video, and Casetify invited influential YouTube creators to share the upcycled works on their channels.
Casetify’s eco-conscious campaign on YouTube garnered:
It also made full use of YouTube’s diverse ads inventory to showcase the video series in long and short formats, and fueled its Shorts ads with AI-powered Video reach campaigns. This drove stronger engagement and a cost per view that was 96% lower than its benchmark.
By leveraging the powerful trio of creative storytelling, multiformat content, and Google AI-powered campaigns on YouTube, Casetify successfully balanced its “triple bottom line” of people, planet, and profits, and clinched The Changemaker award at the 2023 YouTube Works Awards Hong Kong.
Futu Securities: Building a loyal community with always-on content
To connect with investors above the age of 35, leading fintech company Futu Securities positioned itself as the investors’ go-to for trusted financial advice. For this, it launched a financial learning hub on YouTube, where 81% of Hong Kong viewers are open to branded content when watching videos that are personally relevant.7
It collaborated with YouTube creators and financial experts to share financial insights on the channel. The content featured seamlessly integrated product placements, and spanned various formats, including in-depth seminars and snappy street interviews.
It also adopted an always-on approach to build a loyal audience. It regularly uploaded videos that addressed trending money issues and hot financial topics to engage viewers. And it complemented its organic content with Google AI-powered Video reach campaigns to maximise impact.
Futu Securities’ always-on multiformat YouTube campaign drove:
By using YouTube’s winning trifecta to realise its marketing strategy, Futu Securities successfully turned casual viewers into a thriving community of long-term followers. With greater brand awareness and consideration, its app downloads and account applications also grew, and it won in the Best Brand Channel category at the 2023 YouTube Works Awards Hong Kong.
No matter who your audience is or what your marketing strategy and unique business objectives are, you can fire them up with YouTube’s creative capabilities, multiformat content, and Google AI-powered advertising campaigns, and watch the results glow.
