NOW AND THEN, S*** HAPPENS.
- Hans Ebert
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
It really has been a comedy of errors. Though some may see it possibly succeeding as a mockumentary in the style of a poppy version of Spinal Tap, or The Rutles, consider this: “The HKJC and X1X Entertainment Present Now United In Hong Kong, China”.
Where once upon a Spice Girl, there were Posh, Baby, Ginger, Sporty and Scary Spice, when the same formula was repeated with SClub7, some of us actually knew there was a Rachel and Hannah in the group.
In 2019, and from the same Simon Fuller, someone I had known for around twenty years, poppy sausage factory came the Benetton poster inspired Now United.
If the wheel ain’t broke, why fix it?
Though having been in Hong Kong from around June of this year, this latest version of Now United remains, well, an enigma of sorts with the group’s biggest supporter very probably being Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Though accepting the blame for introducing Winning Winfried to the idea of the international looking group perhaps offering some entertainment fare during the Club’s flagship event known as the HKIR- the Hong Kong International Races in December- he bought into it as this simple idea made sense.
It’s not unlike when I created the Happy Wednesday brand for him and the HKJC, something my one time friend sometimes tends to forget and has selective memory recall when in the throes of the lah lahs of rampant self promotion.
Before diving into everything Now and Then and United, was there any type of “due diligence” to understand the product, how it might be enhanced for this city plus realising the need for Music Marketing 101 and a strategic plan with a clear ROI for the Hong Kong Jockey Club?
Then came something similar to premature inoculation and everything where worlds collided, ceilings collapsed, but not before the HKJC sent a team of its Oompah Loompahs to Los Angeles to get to know the X1X team, and kinda embrace the vibe whereas Simon Fuller recommended a “citywide talent search” and a “reality series to find a Hong Kong member for the group”.
It was a great idea, but watching at all the excitement going on, none of this was for someone like me at this juncture in my life. I was wondering how an organisation like the Hong Kong Jockey Club that’s not exactly known for its marketing chutzpah would market a completely unknown international pop group?
Apparently, they did and a Hong Kong born Chinese girl was chosen “over eight thousand contestants” in what must be one of the most unknown reality series that slipped under the radar of even every noodle stall in the city.
Maybe this was an ingenious way of creating curiosity and awareness through, well, no awareness?
For weeks and weeks, there have been somewhat random online “threads” showing sightings of Now United flouncing around “Hong Kong, China” in gym uniforms, especially at the heritage building known as Tai Kwun, and making cameo appearances at the races where they often stood around looking like something out of “Lost”.
What were the members names? Where were they from? Were they an all-girl soccer team?
Who knew?
Possibly so bedazzled by being around Simon Fuller, and meeting this unknown group, the CEO of the HKJC became something of their unofficial mascot and cheerleader and Chief Groupie.
He attended their rehearsals, mentioned dancing with the group at an HKJC venue called, er, The Beat, talked about how the popularity of Now United had driven traffic onto their website- not Ka Ying Rising before the champion galloper conquered the Everest race in Sydney?- and how their “world class videos” had given the HKJC a “global image”.
The partnership between the HKJC and X1X Entertainment and rumoured to be in the very high millions has rather unfortunately been somewhat dogged by questions like, “Who ARE Now United?”, “What Do They DO?” and “Couldn’t A Hong Kong group do whatever it is that they’re doing?”
This is not to say that the A Team involved in this project didn’t know what they were doing, and had forgotten how all this began and all the promises made and how all this everything was going to revive and revitalise a moribund “Hong Kong, China”.
Having said this, some of us who saw the photos below of Now United on social media continue to wonder who is at the wheel of marketing this runaway train and given the task of creating an international product relevant to Hong Kong in 2025?
A missed opportunity?
An own goal?
More Oktoberfest porkies?
Well, lah di da, lah di da, la la.
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