Most branded content in Hong Kong are web-based videos created by the brand themselves, or co-created by online key opinion leaders. Among all media, TV is the most regulated channel where the exposure of brand names, product names, brand taglines are all restricted from the program. Rarely co-created with the station from scratch, TV branded content is still in its infancy stage and the majority remains title sponsor naming or straight up product placements that are completely disjointed from the actual storyline and most Hong Kongers found them excessive and obtrusive. Hence, although the leading free-to-air TV broadcaster TVBJ captures 88% of audience everyday, only a handful of brands have ever leveraged its high reach and demonstrated business success.

This landscape presented a big challenge: How could we harness the huge reach of TVBJ (where the average vertical program achieved 15TVR) but create unobtrusive engagement with Hong Kongers?

Standard Chartered Bank is one of Hong Kong’s largest banks offering loans to SMEs. For many years, our biggest competitors HSBC and Hang Seng Bank dominated 70% of market share, enjoying strong top-of-mind recall with continuous multi-media advertising we simply couldn’t afford! Although repayment rates and evaluation procedures are similar among most banks, to grow inquiries, we needed to assert ourselves 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, fueling that drive to actualize their dreams again!

The more stories they heard, the more they believed in their start-ups. 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!

Dreamers are anywhere. Without mentioning SCB’s SME loan offerings, TVB Jade recruited the mass public to participate in 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. So every presenter gained insights although not everyone emerged a winner! 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.

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.

Standard Chartered Bank Hong Kong understood that for people who wanted to start a business, the more stories they heard, the more they believe in theirs. Instead of selling our SME loans and services to these potential customers, we wanted to ignite their passion so we offered to help them sell their ideas to HK for free.

Creating a platform for dreamers to promote their businesses to the whole of HK, we partnered with the city’s leading TV broadcaster and co-created “I AM BOSS” – a program where dreamers presented their business ideas to win a starting capital! More than judging the business ideas, a panel of investors and Standard Chartered bank bankers provided professional and financial suggestions to help dreamers take their business forward.

We quickly generated huge awareness as the dreamers’ stories became the talk-of-the-town, and proved TV branded entertainment to be an effective media format in Hong Kong!