Following my last blog post on the proposition of the recent Vita’s Lemon Tea campaign, I would like to go further to discuss the two spokespersons they use. Spokesperson is always an important part in an ad. You may choose not to use one. But whenever you have one, you make sure he/she's the right one.
Rap is not for Hong Kong
To better illustrate the idea of Bittersweet, the campaign found a rapper, MC Jin, to sing a jingle. Rappers from the US have always had an image of having a bittersweet and a life full of difficulties. When you picture one of those rappers, you see a black American, with tattoo all over his well-built body. He may wear extravagant accessories depending on his style. However he looks, there’s one thing you can be sure of: You cannot find one in Hong Kong. This is of course related to Hong Kong’s relatively economic prosperity which was covered before. For the same reason, rap music has never been popular in Hong Kong, not to say mainstream. Try this, when was the last time a rap music was included in top 10 of a music award ceremony at the end of the year? Still remember LMF or its member MC Yan? What are they doing today? Still contributing to the music industry I guess, but definitely not a success. And when you compare to their counterpart in the US, who are making millions of US dollars, you know the difference. The failure of LMF and friends is telling only one thing: Rap and Hip hop is not for Hong Kong.
MC Jin is an ABC while Vita’s is a Hong-Kongese
Having said that, it’s still acceptable they choose to use rappers to deliver the message, as the image really fits, but it’s not a good idea to have MC Jin as the spokesperson. Who’s MC Jin? Frankly, I don’t really know him. But a simple search of his name on google and then youtube puts me into listening probably his iconic song, ABC, that’s me. MC Jin is from the US (that’s why he does his rap), he’s not made in Hong Kong and he was proud of it. Gosh, Vita’s is celebrating its 30th birthday based in Hong Kong and is a truly Hong Kong local brand, and you get a “foreigner” to speak for Vita’s? It’s a mismatch, without a doubt. I do think Vita’s can be better off using other local rappers. Perhaps not as famous (or hyped) as MC Jin, but still made in Hong Kong and talks the language of Hong Kong. I don’t want to make it personal, but MC Jin doesnt appeal even a bit to me.
Wan Kwong can be a double-edged sword
Have any idea about Wan Kwong? He is no doubt a controversial musician in Hong Kong. The teenagers, especially the boys, love him a lot, for his "old school" songs that are so fouled (Watch video above if you don't know what I mean). On the other hand, one can easily imagine, parents and girls dislike him very much, thinking that he is too cheap and fouled. However, no matter you are a kid’s mother or not, one thing you cannot deny is his long lasting popularity among the lower class. Spending some 30 years in the local music industry, he is one of the rarities that remain strong until today. His songs reflect the daily living of Hong Kong society and his popularity spreads across generations among mainly the lower class. These characteristics are almost the same as Vita’s the brand: Local, long history and loved by generations. These have made Wan Kwong the ideal spokesperson of Vita’s. What Vita’s should pay attention to when using Wan Kwong is a possible backlash by the more innocent girls. I see they are having a concert by MC Jin and Wan Kwong. I fear only boys want to go and almost for sure, no ladies would like to go to such concert. I do not think this does any good to Vita’s as it is a casual drink for everyone, not just the boys. Just one more remark, female is the majority in Hong Kong, and the number is still on the rise. That means one is playing on oneself if one’s market campaign does not serve them well.
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