Hong Kong's top 10 digital brands report

As in the mainland, local brands rose in stature this year in Hong Kong, accounting for four of the top six. MTR Corp and Ocean Park recorded a recognition rate of 63 per cent each, Cathay Pacific 62 per cent and HSBC 60 per cent.

McDonald’s took the first spot again in terms of awareness, but this did not equal strong motivation from consumers. Only 16 per cent said the ads significantly increased their interest in using the brand, down from 28 per cent in 2010. 

Despite high internet and mobile penetration rates, digital advertising lacks appeal in Hong Kong. The market is more sceptical than other markets towards advertising in all forms, and people there were the least likely to say that digital advertising increased their interest in a company.

Nonetheless, certain brands appear to manage the relationship between visibility and motivation well. Cathay Pacific’s digital ads significantly increased the interest in using the brand for 29 per cent of respondents, while 86 per cent said it somewhat increased their interest. Most impressive was HTC. It was 20th on the list of awareness, yet second in terms of motivation.

Not surprisingly for a typically close-knit community, in Hong Kong friends and family are still the most trusted source of information for consumers. Expert reviews online hold some sway, but far less than advice from a close acquaintance.

Keeping it in the family means recommendations from fellow consumers are seen as suspect. Ads in virtual worlds and video games are also regarded as untrustworthy, with just five per cent acknowledging the medium in their path to purchase. Though visibility of banner and mobile phone ads rose slightly, it should concern advertisers that in a population so devoted to the mobile, only six per cent of respondents thought ads via mobile SMS could be trusted. 

Top 10 brands

1. McDonald's
2. Disney
3. MTR Corporation
4. Ocean Park Hong Kong
5. Cathay Pacific
6. HSBC
7. Sony
8. Nokia
9. Apple
10. Nike

Top 10 motivating advertisers

1. Apple
2. HTC
3. Sony
4. Cathay Pacific
5. Canon
6. Ocean Park Hong Kong
7. Disney
8. Hang Seng Bank
9. Circle K Stores
10. Nike

Top 10 spenders

1. Citicorp Group
2. American Express
3. HSBC
4. Disney
5. Apple
6. Macquarie Group
7. Cathay Pacific
8. Standard Chartered
9. Sony
10. Nokia

Methodology

Research company TNS interviewed a total of 3,000 consumers, aged 15 to 39, across six Asian markets: China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore,Taiwan and Thailand.

Interviews were conducted online using an access panel provided by Lightspeed, a Kantar company.

The research had four main objectives:

• To understand consumer awareness of a brand’s digital presence in each market
• To examine the use of digital media by different brands in the region
• To assess the effect a brand’s digital presence has on influencing consumer choice
• To explore levels of consumer trust towards different media channels

Accurate representation of consumers was achieved via stratified sampling with quotas on age, gender and city in line with population distribution. The brands included in the survey comprise the top spending online advertisers in each market across all media, according to Nielsen’s advertising expenditure data.

This study therefore focuses on the digital presence of the top advertisers only. Those advertisers and brands not included in the list of top spenders are by default excluded from the study.