Bright ad ideas lost in multimedia gaps
While crossover of various channels is the way to go for HK advertisers, insufficient infrastructure will hamper the integration of these platforms
The crossover of mobile, internet and traditional outdoor media is the way ahead for Hong Kong's multimillion-dollar advertising business, but insufficient mobile network capacity and a lack of integration between these channels and back-end logistics support mean some brilliant ideas have not taken shape in an otherwise tech-savvy city.
Commercials placed on interactive media and mobile phones only comprise a tenth of the HK$40 billion ad market, according to media monitoring firm admanGo, but the sector is a major growth driver.
Spending on mobile ads, for example, nearly quadrupled to HK$141 million in the third quarter of this year from HK$31 million a year ago.
But Ray Wong, a committee member of the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of Hong Kong, said the city lagged economies like Japan and South Korea in the infrastructure needed to allow better integration of such channels.
"I came across this idea from a Korean supermarket," he said. "It put up a QR code [a machine-readable label] in an outdoor area near a business district, where the sun shines through every day between 1pm and 2pm. A passer-by can capture the code's reflection with their smartphone and get delivery of discounted meals to their office."
Wong, also the chief executive of advertising agency PHD, said he had urged a local supermarket chain to adopt the same strategy but it failed to materialise.
