What massive level of insecurity prompts the government to keep tinkering with the so-called Hong Kong brand? This week, yet another Hong Kong logo was unveiled, adding a number of ribbons to the existing dragon design. Lovers of irony will note that, in the aftermath of the worst-ever pollution readings, the blue ribbon symbolises blue skies; the green ribbon symbolises sustainable development (surely beige, for concrete, would have been better) and Lion Rock is the object supposedly silhouetted on the wiggly red ribbon, standing for Hong Kong's 'can-do' spirit.
The enthusiasm for creating a Hong Kong brand followed the 1997 handover when officials were concerned that Hong Kong's identity would be lost. In 2000, BrandHK was born, a wonderful invention of the bureaucratic mind that brought us the original dragon logo and lots of wannabe Madison Avenue talk about leveraging the brand. This enthusiasm for rebranding was quickly taken up by the Tourism Board, which is still getting over its 'Hong Kong will take your breath away' campaign, launched to coincide with the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome and quickly replaced by the instantly forgettable 'There's no place like Hong Kong' slogan.
Creating a brand is a perfectly sensible thing to do. Indeed, in my other life as a businessman, I am currently engaged in a project of precisely this kind. However, the brand is only as strong as what stands behind it. Fortunately, Hong Kong has a lot to offer and maybe the day will come when local bureaucrats feel confident enough to let the very name speak for itself - as New York does with its stark and simple NYC brand.
New York, of course, is also known as the 'Big Apple', a term that did not come from City Hall but was generated well away from the bureaucracy. Fortunately, the bureaucracy was smart enough to recognise that it did not have a monopoly of good ideas and was happy to embrace what popular culture created. Hong Kong officials are spared this kind of modesty and remain firmly convinced that they know best, especially in creative matters. Yes, read that sentence again; the Hong Kong government actually believes it has superior capabilities in this area. This is why it is busy working on a mega project to centralise all cultural activities on the tip of the harbour, and this is the government with such a refined sense of aesthetics that it ordered the entire city to be covered in soulless public housing blocks which give new meaning to the word 'ugly'.
Meanwhile, back at the branding station, there are the usual government claims that the public has been consulted and that this new brand somehow reflects the public view. This came as news to designers engaged in this field and came as even bigger news to the great unwashed who keep being told that their views have prevailed despite never having consciously offered a view to be taken account of.
So, why is the government so keen to keep tinkering with Hong Kong's image? Indeed, why is it so intent on creating its own mini-version of the decline of the Roman Empire whose last stages were marked by fevered attempts to divert attention from its failings with ever more extravagant displays and diversions?