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The Forest of Heartstrings @Ian’s Asteroid I609

DATE: 22 May – 30 June

VENUE: 2/F Atrium and Shop 517519, 5/F, Hong Kong Times Square

1. To celebrate local boy band MIRROR’s Ian Chan’s 30th birthday on 9 June, his fan club is holding an exhibition at Times Square to showcase his songwriting journey.

2. The exhibition will display Chan’s creative manuscripts and song demos, which are surrounded by natural elements such as the ocean and forest.

3. Furthermore, the backdrop of the exhibition features a huge portrait of Chan. When visitors walk closer to it, they will find it is composed of lyrics from his songs.

4. A 1.5 metre-tall 3D “Little Ian” with a koala look has been placed in the atrium, which will be an Instagrammable hotspot for fans.

Hot Toys x “Spider-Man: Across the SpiderVerse” Exhibition

DATE: 26 May – 18 June

VENUE: Ocean Terminal Forecourt, Harbour City

1. Sony Pictures and Hot Toys have co-organised the Hot Toys x “Spider-Man: Across the SpiderVerse” exhibition at Harbour City, creating a dream come true for fans.

2. For the first time in the world, over 80 never-before-seen movie design sketches and character illustrations will be displayed.

3. There will be various interactive charity workshops for families, and the free AI Spidersona experience on weekends for all fans.

4. Fans can pre-order the 1/6th Miles Morales collectible figures (special edition) exclusively at the Hot Toys Rebel Base store in Harbour City from 25 May.

DOUBLE DUCKS by Florentijn Hofman

DATE: 10 - 21 June

VENUE: Near Tamar Park and the Central and Western District Promenade

1. On the 10th anniversary of its first visit in 2023, the giant rubber duck is coming back to Hong Kong, accompanied by a new friend.

2. Created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, the 18 metre-tall giant rubber duck is one of the tallest rubber ducks in the world.

3. While the two giant ducks are currently in Tsing Yi, they will be moved to Victoria Harbour in June.

4. The giant duo swim freely in the nearby waters, against the backdrop of the Ting Kau Bridge and Tsing Ma Bridge.

YAU Beer X Yuet Tung China Works brand collaboration

DATE: from 24 May onwards

VENUE: 7-Eleven stores and selective on-trade outlets

1. Carlsberg’s craft beer brand YAU has collaborated with Yuet Tung China Works – a local porcelain factory that was established in 1928 – to launch porcelain beer glasses.

2. Yuet Tung China Works has used a traditional painting technique to bring to life the YAU characters in the classic porcelain colour palettes.

3. The product is a fusion of two fanciers from different creative industries, creating a collectible item that represents local culture and the craft they are passionate about.

4. Consumers who order three YAU craft beer tasting sets during the promotion period can join porcelain beer glass DIY workshops to add their personal design touches to the glass.

Quiet hiring in agencies: A significant problem or a chance to reinvest in existing employees?

Quiet hiring, a new term that has come to the workplace in recent times, is a situation where an organisation leverages current employees’ capabilities to acquire new skills without recruiting new full-time staff. It is also a phenomenon in the agency world. But is it beneficial or detrimental to existing employees? Camillia Dass reached out to some agency leads across the APAC region to weigh in on the latest trend.

Remember when quiet quitting was all anyone could talk about? In the midst of the post-pandemic burnout culture, many underappreciated and exhausted employees began doing the bare minimum to get by in their jobs in order to preserve their mental health.

Now though, perhaps in response to the quiet quitting movement, employers have flipped the switch with a new trend designed to cope with shrinking budgets and hiring freezes, and that is, quiet hiring.

Quiet hiring is the latest trend where companies attempt to increase their productivity by getting current employees to take on roles outside their job description in order to avoid hiring more people. Companies who practise quiet hiring also tend to hire contract or temporary employees to cover extra tasks without having to commit to paying someone a full-time salary.

While hiring contract or temporary employees is certainly not a new concept, it is one that has gained more prominence in the post-pandemic world. However, is quiet hiring an issue in resource-strapped industries such as the advertising and marketing space? It would seem the answer mostly lies in one’s mindset.

“I think exploring new frontiers for agencies can be costly and fruitless, and with fast-evolving frontiers, some irresponsibly laden existing talent with the burden of extra work,” explained Marianne Whitman, R/GA Singapore’s general manager.

“That shouldn’t, however, overlook the huge opportunity for growth that this provides for both agency and talent if nurtured correctly,” she continued before noting that change should be part of an agency’s DNA.

“However, to change at speed you need passionate and dedicated people eager to evolve their capabilities as well as systems to support them in the process.”

Whitman noted that at R/GA, it has seen visual designers switch to experience designers; web engineers grow into mobile engineers; and communication strategists switch to experience strategists.

“In many cases it’s a win-win: people grow based on their dream careers; and we benefit from people’s expanded skill sets.”

She continued by saying there is a fine line between the exploration of a new capability for talent, and exploitation.

“For it to be successful both parties need to establish clear expectations and boundaries around workload and time frames,” she said.

Agreeing with her, Jolene Huang, chief talent officer for Singapore and Southeast Asia at Publicis Groupe, argued that she does not see quiet hiring as an issue yet.

“On the contrary, I perceive it as a creative and innovative approach to addressing the talent crunch, particularly in agencies, while simultaneously catering to the needs and aspirations of our people,” she said.

“Reframing quiet hiring as an approach that prioritises offering internal talent the first opportunity for growth can reveal several benefits.”

She went on to say that for employers, saving on recruitment and onboarding can lead to greater flexibility when meeting the needs of people within the organisation. As for employees, it allows them to develop their skills, enhance their experience, and advance their careers within the agency while still enjoying job security.

However, Huang cautioned against falling into the trap of overwhelming employees, despite organisations facing many challenges with finding suitable talent, while also managing evolving employee expectations.

“Executing this strategy with logic, sensibility, and empathy is essential to prevent overwhelming individuals with more responsibilities than they are capable of or willing to manage,” she said.

She added that in her opinion, it is all about reinvesting in people who are already in the organisation.

“Conversations are a two-way street. If people feel like they are doing more than they can handle or have been given an opportunity that isn’t aligned with their wants, it’s essential to speak up and make it known,” she said.

True enough – it is essential for organisations to embrace the responsibility of fostering a supportive working environment, promoting work-life balance, and helping their people establish internal and external boundaries.

The local marketing industry has been hit hard by the pandemic over the past few years. With a huge shift in marketing trends and consumer behaviour, agencies have been looking for ways to survive and cut through the clutter as we enter the post-pandemic era.

As such, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s Agency of the Year Awards was back again to provide an opportunity for agencies to showcase their brilliant accomplishments, and to stand out from their competitors.

Judged by an independent panel of high-calibre, client-side marketers, the 13th edition of the awards held on 16 June focused on the overall performance of an agency, rather than a specific campaign.

The entries were evaluated based on their performance (25%), product (25%), people (25%), and perspective (25%). Participating agencies needed to demonstrate how well their organisations had performed and how well they had managed their talent over the awards period, including measurable metrics on the success of their business strategies. They were also recommended to include any case studies on unique campaigns that had been done over the period.

With 32 categories recognising various specialisations, all agencies, large and small, had the chance to shine.

We would also like to thank our 21 judges for their time and effort in crowning our winners for 2023.

B2B Agency of the Year

SILVER PHD Hong Kong

Omnicom Media Group

GOLD LOCAL HERO

Pico Group Independent

B2C Agency of the Year

BRONZE New iMedia Solutions

New eBusiness

SILVER LOCAL HERO

PRIZM Group Independent

GOLD PHD Hong Kong

Omnicom Media Group

BRONZE Mindshare Hong Kong

GroupM Hong Kong

Best Acquisition/Retention Agency of the Year

GOLD PHD Hong Kong

Omnicom Media Group

Best Performance-Based Agency of the Year

SILVER EssenceMediacom GroupM Hong Kong

BRONZE LOCAL HERO

Meology

Independent

SILVER iProspect Hong Kong

Dentsu Hong Kong

GOLD Mindshare Hong Kong

GroupM Hong Kong

BRONZE EssenceMediacom GroupM Hong Kong

LOCAL HERO

Fimmick

Independent

Best Newcomer

SILVER 212 Studio Independent

GOLD LOCAL HERO

Omelette

Omelette Digital

Boutique Agency of the Year

BRONZE MGV Innovation

Vizz Digital Group

BRONZE Mobfever

SHOPFEVER GROUP

GOLD LOCAL HERO

Narrow Door

The Bees Group

SILVER

Omelette

Omelette Digital

BRONZE WHAT IF Independent