Financial Secretary John Tsang has launched a revitalised Brand Hong Kong - the city brand - which features updated core values, or "DNA", with its dragon logo taking on a more contemporary look.

The five updated core values of BrandHK are: free, enterprising, excellence, innovative and quality living. The core values are what Hong Kong people cherish or aspire to.

The attributes describing Hong Kong's perceived characteristics have also been revised, as cosmopolitan, secure, connected, diverse and dynamic.

Core values

At the BrandHK and Faces of Hong Kong campaign launch ceremony today, Mr Tsang said these 10 adjectives or phrases describing BrandHK may sound "all too familiar". However, when comparing them with the brand's old core values and attributes, people should be able to discern some subtle changes that should not be ignored.

He noted 'innovative' and 'quality living' have been classified as 'aspirational' values; and 'quality living' is a new core value and some of its elements, such as nature and heritage conservation or healthy work-life balance, were absent in the BrandHK launched in 2001.

"Survey findings revealed general support for Hong Kong to position itself as 'Asia's world city', so we have kept the brand positioning as it is," he said.

The updated brand platform defines Hong Kong as a free and dynamic society where creativity and entrepreneurship converge. Strategically located in the heart of Asia, it is a cosmopolitan city offering global connectivity, security and rich diversity, and is home to a unique network of people who celebrate excellence and quality living.

Flying dragon

The most eye-catching update is the BrandHK visual identity, which keeps the essence of the original flying dragon, although the dragon itself has evolved and changed colour. It is the work of renowned designer Alan Chan.

"Feedback from the review showed general backing for the dragon, which has built up substantial equity over the years. There are also views that the visual identity should have a refreshed image to reflect the updated brand DNA," Mr Tsang said. Hence the evolution of the dragon.

Explaining his creative ideas behind his dynamic logo design, Mr Chan said the blue and green ribbons extending from the dragon symbolise blue sky and a sustainable environment, while Lion Rock - which represents the "can-do" spirit of Hong Kong people - is silhouetted by the red ribbon.

People's stories

The Faces of Hong Kong campaign is the Government's new marketing and communications strategy to promote the city through the BrandHK platform. It will highlight Hong Kong's soft power - the richness of its culture and heritage, as well as the enterprising spirit, innovation and creativity of its people.

The new strategy focuses on BrandHK's evolution rather than its reinvention, building on the brand's existing equity to further its appeal and reach, while showing Hong Kong, a world financial centre, also has a "human" side.

Local people are at the heart of the strategy. Central to this is the theme 'meet the many faces of Hong Kong' which invites the global audience to get to know more about the city through the real stories of people here. These are people from all walks of life who illuminate the brand's values and attributes.

A photo mosaic project using local people's photographs to create various images of Hong Kong was also launched today, to call on local people to submit their photos and stories about Hong Kong through www.facesofhongkong.com. Entry is open until May 31. Entrants submitting the three photos voted as best online will each get a valuable camera.

Publicity drive

Radio Television Hong Kong has produced a four-episode TV series, My Hong Kong, which gives substance to the core values and attributes of the revitalised BrandHK. It will be broadcast on TVB Jade every Saturday from April 3 to 24, from 8pm to 8.30pm.

The revitalised BrandHK will gain exposure to a global audience at the Shanghai World Expo in May, which is expected to attract more than 70 million visitors.

Mr Tsang said the benefits of the revitalised BrandHK may take time to manifest themselves, especially as city branding is a slow and evolutionary strategy.

"Branding is a long drawn out and ongoing process. We do not expect any magical impact overnight from the revitalisation of BrandHK. However, if we persist in our efforts to nurture and promote the brand, the programme will bear fruit one day," he said.

Full review

The Government launched BrandHK as a communications platform nine years ago to promote Hong Kong to the global audience. The revitalisation follows an in-depth review from May 2008 to April last year to ensure it evolves with the times and remains effective.

The review had engaged a wide cross section of the community to foster a shared vision for Hong Kong and its branding. Professional opinion surveys, sectoral consultation sessions, focus groups, a web platform, creative competitions and vision co-creation workshops were held to gauge public views and aspirations. Opinions gathered formed the basis of revisions to BrandHK's DNA.

Mr Tsang said the emphasis on public engagement and vision co-creation was to ensure the updated DNA of the revitalised BrandHK will not be out of touch with public perceptions of the city.

External perceptions of the city were surveyed firstly through nation/location branding expert Simon Anholt's City Brands Index Reports on Hong Kong, and secondly through WebLedge, a customised Internet research tool, to make Internet-derived comparisons between Hong Kong and other global cities.