When branding Hong Kong we should not lose what makes us unique

When Brand Hong Kong was launched in 2001, the then chief secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said the flying dragon motif would help establish Hong Kong as Asia's premier city.

The government has launched a series of initiatives aimed at revitalising the brand in the face of changes locally and in the macro-environment. The review is not about keeping or changing the dragon, it is more about updating our core values.

It would be a mistake to even think about changing the flying dragon. I am not saying it is particularly appealing. But a logo is for easy recognition and it takes time to build that. To change it now would be to ruin all the efforts made so far. In the last branding exercise, progressive, stable, free, opportunity and high quality were identified as the core values of Hong Kong. How many Hong Kong people know about them and their importance? The city achieved its success not because of what it had said, but what it had done.

It is a good thing to have verbalised our values, but it is even more important to promote, protect and strengthen those values within society. In this regard, the government has not done enough. Also, successful branding needs differentiation, which is lacking in the current branding. Fearing being marginalised, there are talks about the need to merge Hong Kong with Shenzhen or cities in the Pearl River Delta.

There is no quicker way to be marginalised than when we lose what makes us different. Co-operation is one thing, defining and defending our differences is another. We have come to the point when the right question to ask is not how we can be more like the mainland, but how we can be more different. We should note those differences, work on them and tell the world about them. In a nutshell, what we need now is less a revitalisation exercise than an intensifying programme. Updating the brand should be a small part.

We need a reality check on how we are practising what we preach and how our people are living the Brand Hong Kong. It is less about how to promote brand but more about how to really become the brand we present to the world.