Editorial | Rebranding Hong Kong will be a hard sell

There has always been the need to better promote Hong Kong overseas to counter the impact that the political turmoil and coronavirus pandemic have had on the city. Whether this is the right time to do so is another matter. Add the controversy over the national security law and it has become even more difficult. But the government is apparently impatient and went ahead to entrust the task to a public relations agency with a US$6.2 million-a-year contract last month.

The exercise has attracted negative publicity since September, with the first tender failing to yield even a single submission. The second attempt in May suffered another setback, with two of the seven bidders eventually pulling out. The latest news is that the awardee, an international firm called Consulum, has worked on PR programmes for the Saudi Arabian government and is staffed largely by employees of a firm that collapsed in the wake of a racially charged campaign in South Africa.

Whether the company can rise to the challenge remains to be seen. But questions have been raised about whether public funds are being used wisely. The endeavour has become more difficult because of the prevailing environment. Globally, the negative perception of Hong Kong losing its freedoms has been reinforced by the imposition of the national security law by Beijing. Messages of the city getting back on track are likely to be drowned out by a chorus of international criticisms and sanctions. Locally, images of riot police clashing with defiant protesters and journalists injured by water cannons also tell a different story.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor expressed confidence in a strong rebound following the enactment of the national security law. This is easier said than done, as evidenced in the turbulence over the past year. If selling the new law to locals is already difficult, it will be even more so to overseas audiences. That is why there is so much scepticism even before the global rebranding is launched. Some critics even say it is mission impossible. Whichever the company, it will take more than advertising to swing perceptions and opinions. The world needs to be able to see that the city is flourishing rather than declining. Until then, it will be a hard sell.