Sponsored campaigns designed to “Celebrate Living” met with critical acclaim

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach^[1] - 10 September 2020 - FWD Hong Kong^[2] ("FWD") has won 29 marketing and public relations (PR) awards so far this year for the breadth and creativity of their recent community engagement campaigns, embodying our brand promise to "Celebrate Living". The accolades include seven Marketing Event Awards, four Event Marketing Awards, twelve PR Awards, two PR Awards Asia, one Bloomberg Businessweek Financial Institution Awards, one MARKies Awards and two Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards (see Table 1 for details).

Rolling out high-profile campaigns is a long-held tradition at FWD. FWD's vision is to change the way people feel about insurance, not only by offering innovative, easy-to-understand products and services to serve different needs, but also by proactively engaging with the community and sharing its passion to "Celebrate Living".

Ken Lau, FWD Managing Director of Greater China and Hong Kong Chief Executive Officer explains: "'Celebrate Living' encapsulates the value of living in the moment, seizing opportunities, and embracing new life experiences. We've always sought to establish an intimate connection with the community around shared values, and will continue striving to share our passion through award-winning initiatives and campaigns."

Four of FWD's latest campaigns showcase the wide-ranging breadth of its community engagement efforts.

FWD x "The World of Studio Ghibli's Animation" exhibition enchants crowds

In 2019, FWD awakened some of Hong Kong people's most treasured childhood memories. Critically acclaimed and declared a "must see", the FWD x "The World of Studio Ghibli's Animation" exhibition was a resounding success and positive coverage of the event spread like wildfire on social media.

Studio Ghibli's films inspire the audience to reflect on different stages of their lives, which resonates with FWD's promise to empower people to fully unleash their passion and pursue their life goals without hesitation. The popular campaign won 15 awards, such as Campaign of the Year at the PR Awards 2020 and Best Pop-up Event at the Marketing Event Awards 2020.

Miniatures commemorates the city's cultural heritage

FWD is proud of its Hong Kong roots and actively seeks to celebrate and preserve the city's cultural heritage for the enjoyment of the wider community and future generations. In January 2020, FWD launched the "Hong Kong Story Walk -- Miniature Hong Kong" at FWD HOUSE 1881, an exhibition featuring miniature replicas of classic Hong Kong stories that evocate rituals, traditions, and memories. The event earned FWD four awards with PR Awards 2020's Best PR Campaign -- Lifestyle and Entertainment included.

From running the world's coolest race to planting trees for a greener future

FWD is also committed to its responsibility to fight climate change and the diverse threats posed to our environment. For the fourth consecutive year, the insurer has sponsored and actively participated in the North Pole Marathon, the "world's coolest marathon", with the race aiming to advance ecological conservation.

What's more, FWD enrolled four local influencers and runners who helped promote the planting of trees across Southeast Asia, and worked with an Asian reforestation enterprise, EcoMatcher, to plant 5,000 trees to offset carbon footprint. FWD's initiatives won six awards, which includes four Gold awards for the Best Use of Influencers/Advocates and Best Use of Social Media at the Marketing Event Awards 2020, Best Sponsorship at the Event Marketing Awards 2020, and Innovation in the Use of Celebrities or Public Figures at 2020 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

FWD plays its part in the fight against COVID-19

Designed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the #stayhomemoments campaign aimed to help flatten the curve of new COVID-19 infections by forming partnerships with popular merchants such as foodpanda, Hong Kong Telecom and Trip.com to offer free protection for Hong Kong citizens against the coronavirus and encourage them to stay home. The #stayhomemoments earned three awards, such as PR Awards 2020's Best PR Campaign -- Partnership/Sponsorship.

Ken takes note of the significance of the multiple accolades: "These awards are proof of our continued efforts to inspire our community with a passion to live in the here and now. We look forward to bringing new interactive experiences to the public, advancing worthy causes ‑such as our shared heritage or the environment‑ and nurturing a desire to cherish everything life has to offer."

Table 1: FWD swept away 29 marketing and PR awards in 2020

With the brand promise "Celebrate Living" always in mind, FWD sought to establish an intimate connection with the community and bring world-class events to the public, with campaigns well recognised at the Event Marketing Awards 2020 with 4 awards which include two Best Sponsorship awards.

FWD x "The World of Studio Ghibli's Animation" and FWD North Pole Marathon garnered two innovation awards from the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards 2020.

In June, FWD won 11 awards in the Bloomberg Businessweek Financial Institution Awards with FWD x "The World of Studio Ghibli's Animation" earning the Integrated Marketing -- Branding Promotion (Outstanding) award.

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} FWD Hong Kong (www.fwd.com.hk)