1.618 Group sets 100-day challenge to revamp a century-old Hong Kong brand—for free

The agency said the rationale for the 'Brandnaissance' initiative is that many Europeans and Americans appreciate their own heritage and love their brands and products. While this is also true for Japanese and Koreans in Asia, they want to ask Hong Kong fans of design and culture whether they also love Hong Kong's heritage.

The campaign kicks off today, and the agency aims to see if it can finish its ‘Hong Kong Brandnaissance’ project before Chinese New Year on 10 February. Examples of century-old Hong Kong brands include cosmetics brand Two Girls, sauce brand Lee Kum Kee and the Hong Kong Peak Tram.

1.618 Group will call for ideas for heritage brands, especially those that are underappreciated and undervalued, in social media via Facebook, Twitter and WeiBo. It will then talk to the brands, select one brand and persuade it to do some rebranding activities.

The agency will give weekly updates of its progress, restyle the brand and find partners to support the process, engage with fans to seek their advice and feedback via social media and launch the restyled brand—all out of its own budget.

"We want to have fun," Gianluca Cinquepalmi (pictured below), managing director of 1.618 Group, told Campaign Asia-Pacific. "We would like to show that design is not just about money, but also how can we leave a footprint in the history of time for a brand, or how can we make a timeless design and keep a refreshing image, and what message you want to transfer to the next generation."

Here is the link of some background of the agency.