The idea was to create a powerful community marketing platform to enable a group of outlets in the same area to work together for promotional purposes.

Companies that join the Venue Alliance can reinforce brands via in-venue promotions, while also benefiting from street advertising and area branding - an approach known as co-marketing.

By doing things in this way, Venue Alliance partners can saturate one venue or an entire street with their message.

With banners, costumes, coasters, lucky draws and more, advertisers can target SoHo, Lan Kwai Fong, Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui directly. Bars, restaurants and stores taking part in a campaign can then provide extensive exposure for one brand.

According to Simon Squibb, the co-ordinator of Venue Alliance, the essence of the programme is that one plus one equals 11. This means that two different types of business - for example, an entertainment venue and a large organisation such as United Airlines or the Hong Kong Jockey Club - can join together for mutual benefit.

With hundreds of thousands of patrons visiting an area like SoHo, the venues can earn some extra revenue and the companies can deliver their message to a target audience.

'It can only be a win-win situation for all involved, as we have proven over the past five months since Venue Alliance started,' Mr Squibb said.

There are many advantages to co-marketing, and the dynamic approach has been well received by the respective partners. It has also helped to create a better overall impact.

Stella So, an associate professor in Chinese University's department of marketing, said: 'It's not just doing it on your own but working together that makes the difference. Companies can utilise their limited resources and work with each other to provide better results.'

So what does this mean for Hong Kong? It will provide a boost for the advertising and marketing industry and should lead to more jobs in those fields.

Since its launch, Venue Alliance has received many inquiries from potential employees and from companies looking for ways to get involved.

Consequently, they are now focusing on expanding the current portfolio of brands, further developing their sales network and recruiting additional personnel.

The key qualities which potential recruits must possess are dynamism, creativity and an outgoing personality. For certain senior positions, high-calibre candidates are needed with creative skills in graphic design, Web design and conceptual marketing.

'The trick is to ensure all parties see instant and direct benefit from the partnership marketing system,' Mr Squibb said.

'We are a young business and we want people and marketing managers with passion and vision to work with us. They must be able to think out of the box because marketing is about passion and wanting to promote your client's business beyond their expectations.'

Mr Squibb said Venue Alliance needed its staff to understand how to make companies work together. 'It's about going that extra 10 miles - not just one.'

Assistant co-ordinator Kristy Tong joined Venue Alliance two months ago and has found her job to be full of opportunities. She originally got the job by taking a targeted, proactive approach.

'I graduated last year and started with the traditional job-hunting approach by checking advertisements, doing online searches and contacting recruitment agencies,' she said.

'I had a few interviews, but could not see myself working for any of those companies. I came across Venue Alliance through its website and sent the firm an e-mail. I think people should be looking for a company they actually want to work for, instead of taking a reactive approach and applying for what they see is available,' she added.

Ms Tong said she believed that customers were increasingly looking to outsource work to a one-stop shop that could offer them flexible, tailor-made solutions.

Her job includes dealing with clients, handling promotional and marketing activities, and co-ordinating with participating venues.

Looking ahead, brand positioning is likely to take on increasing importance.

Even though major companies in Hong Kong and overseas are boosting their budgets for marketing, advertising and design collaborations, comparatively few have adopted co-marketing within the community to promote a particular company.

'I don't know anyone else doing this type of community-based marketing, and we would like to be expanding this concept in Hong Kong and taking it globally within the next two years,' Mr Squibb said.