Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) is one of Hong Kong’s largest banks offering loans to SMEs. However, repayment rates and evaluation procedures are similar among most banks. To grow enquiries, we needed to assert ourself as market leader.

To many Hong Kongers, ‘being the boss’ of their own business has always been the biggest dream. However, corporate domination made entrepreneurship difficult. People felt they were a long way from their dreams, hesitating before taking the first step. But every once in a while, a successful story would re-ignite their enthusiasm and belief, fuelling that drive to actualize their dreams again!

We helped dreamers broadcast their ideas at zero media investment. As their stories became the talk of the town, HK$1.5m venture capital was given away to show Hong Kong that dreams could come true! The program attained an average rating of 21.3! HIGH above the average 18.3 rating for the same day-part! Hotline enquiries for SME loans increased by 12%! In the 5 months after I AM boss was launched, our revenue for SME loans increased 190%!

Most importantly, Hong Kongers now perceive SCB as the ‘go-to’ bank for SME loans.

The different channels and how they worked together to maximise the campaign.

Dreamers are anywhere. Without mentioning SCB’s offerings, TVB recruited the public to join the program through their promotional TV spots. Right in front of a panel of judges and the whole of Hong Kong, participants presented their business ideas to compete for the start-up capital.

Different from programs of similar nature, our program aimed to motivate actions rather than criticism. Apart from Presenter (dreamers) and Investors (critics), we introduced the SCB Advisor (the bank) who provided constructive advice for dreamers to take their business forward regardless of their performance. Although not everyone emerged as a winner, every presenter gained insights!

The more stories they heard, the more they believed in their startups. So instead of promoting our own services and offerings, we helped SMEs promote theirs for free.

Helping dreamers make their first step and guiding them into action like a business partner, we spread many stories of the hopefuls to others by giving dreamers to chance to promote their businesses – on TV, at no charge!

Partnering with HK’s leading broadcast channel, TVBJ, we co-created “I AM A BOSS” program series. Dreamers finally had the once-in-a-lifetime platform to prove to HK their business proposals were worth winning a capital support!