THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS CLUB: TAKING THE GUESSWORK OUT OF TRYING AND FAILING TO CONNECT WITH THE NEW GENERATION.

Maybe it’s the times we live in, but seldom have I struggled so much to produce good creative work and not more Me Too flip charts that go nowhere.

These days I see a Hong Kong that’s in reverse- slow moving, tired looking and running out of time and inspiration. 

For the past few years I have been asking friends, “What is the brand personality of Hong Kong?” 

No one has an answer because they’re either too busy doing nothing or would rather be talking about horse racing or how wealthy someone or another is as if it’s some kinda competition.

Creativity and winning international awards for great advertising- and advertising that put “Asia’s world city” on the map? It’s gonski. 

As I recently mentioned to someone, when nearly everyone believes that they can do everything themselves because of technology, or by going to the gurus of Googledom or Wikipedia, and now AI, for extra wisdom, what comes out in the wash are robotic answers that offer no soul nor relevance and appear from a place far far away. 

How creating and producing music was seduced into entering the DIY world, and, by so doing, devalued itself and opened the doors to streaming has also stunted the growth of so much of everything else.

This includes that all important need to have an inquisitive mind and create and change with the times instead of the times making their own moves, and the human world happy to aimlessly follow.

Science fiction has become today’s grim reality and one has to wonder if technology might have actually slowed down moving forward because of the tail wagging the dog?

One also continues to wonder about the lack of creativity in Hong Kong sometimes led by “digital creators” on Facebook, which is as meaningless as being a “consultant”.

The all-powerful Hong Kong Jockey Club, with all its various hires and marketing dollars, positions and brands its global horse racing product as “Love Racing”.

What does this even mean?

Why not keep it simple like “Enjoy Racing”? And to simplify it even further, just the word “Enjoy”?

Does the HKJC even know the difference between having a product personality and a brand personality and where its Charities Trust fits into the overall picture?

Does the Club even have a Director of Creative Services?

It appears to have plenty of hires with “marketing” in their titles, but could they be somewhat inexperienced promotional people, and if this is the case, where do the ideas come from?

By bringing the two parties together- as a personal favour- with the Longines Hong Kong International Races in mind, I feel personally responsible, because I don’t see any ROI except for some random marketing efforts comprising videos featuring bland and homogenised Pop that makes the music of SClub7 and the TikTok group Future X sound like Ziggy Stardust.

Hong Kong is not going through growing pains, but it certainly appears to have lost its appetite to be seen as a leader. It’s also become rather naive and a city that’s aging faster than Abraham.

It’s also become kinda dumbed down and as always is being taken for a ride like what happened with the dodgy and wobbly HarbourFest which became an unreal and hugely expensive reality to attract international tourists back to the city after the SARS outbreak.

As a longtime Hong Kong Belonger who has contributed much to the city, especially to the world of entertainment that’s beyond Shenzhen, and became a home and fast paced adventure to a nine year old who arrived here by ship with his parents from Ceylon, I am extremely protective of its present and future.

The efforts of Chief Executive John KS Lee to break bread with the city’s elderly, listen to what they have to say and look towards creating a healthy future for the next few generations have not gone unnoticed.

After the blunders of his predecessor, Mr Lee is doing a darn fine job.

Does he need a better and more efficient and diverse team around him?

Very probably, yes.

With this in mind, it was interesting to read an Opinion piece in the SCMP by the sometimes misunderstood politician for all seasons and all reasons Mrs Regina Ip, below.

Particularly telling was when the Iron Lady of Hong Kong and Convenor of EXCO, a member of the Legislative Council and founder of the New People’s Party wrote the following: “Talk of developing the small plot of land in Lok Ma Chau Loop bordering Shenzhen into a joint tech park goes back to the 1990s.

“Yet, Hong Kong’s planning and development procedures are so cumbersome and costly that only three buildings, as phase one of the joint park, were completed earlier this year.

“Decisive steps must be taken to end high-cost and slow-paced development if the technology dream is to become a reality”.

It’s not exactly difficult to read what’s being said between the lines: Time is a luxury we cannot afford to take lightly, and how wisely this time is spent- and on what- is key to the future of Hong Kong.

It can’t be a free-for-all bowl of congee that’s Italian in flavour with ingredients from Somalia.

For myself, I would use my own time and my own dime to help create Hong Kong’s first Young Entrepreneurs Club.

Called RIDE, this will hopefully take the guesswork by those past their Use By Dates trying- and failing- to connect with the younger generation.

The passing of Actor Robert Redford has made me think of many things, including plans for the above idea and making it something Made In Hong Kong and for the world.

I read and watched videos about Robert Redford and thought about the man behind the actor- a good and kind and caring person who helped things he felt strongly about, whether it be the environment or creating the Sundance Film Festival for young filmmakers to showcase their work.

I thought about the Hong Kong I know and those who have got rich off the fat of the land could have done, but never did- and still don’t.

Why?

Guess it wasn’t important enough and wasn’t part of the driving force behind the brand personality of Hong Kong.

And which is what?

As we approach 2026, I see a Hong Kong that took me and my parents in and helped me be the person I am- imperfections and all.

Having said this, and despite going to school here and learning as I went through life here, I never really knew the barren rock that became Hong Kong and my home.

I now believe that we messed up and became lost in our own games of arrogance and smoke and mirrors, took in the strays and believed in our own serial bullsh*t.

It’s never too late to make amends.

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