HK's brand should be more than feel-good propaganda

Your article reporting the addition of three ribbons to Hong Kong's dragon logo ('Ribbons on a dragon: the new city symbol', March 28) paints a dispiriting, almost laughable picture of the government's efforts to promote Hong Kong.

This comes more than a year after you reported that the government was reviewing Brand Hong Kong ('Brand recognition', January 22, 2009).

It appears that effort has produced little more than the so-called evolved dragon, along with surveys confirming the public's acceptance of the 'Asia's world city' slogan.

Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah offered the following logic: 'Brand Hong Kong is the city brand of Hong Kong people and what they think about their own city is of prime importance.' Local surveys 'revealed general support for Hong Kong to position itself as Asia's world city'.

This is the same explanation Mr Tsang offered in 2009 when he said he wanted to enhance 'the buy-in among the people of Hong Kong' - as if we were the principal market for our brand.

Our brand should be much more than feel-good propaganda for domestic consumption. It should speak to the travellers, businesses, artists and students from outside Hong Kong who could come and contribute to our economy and society.

The government stated as much in 2000, when its Commission on Strategic Development wrote: 'Hong Kong needs to promote its unique position ... to a wide range of international audiences. A successful external promotion programme can have a significant positive impact on ... a number of key economic, social, and cultural objectives.'