WHEN THINGS ONCE UNITED FALL APART

At a time when the world is in such a precarious position and each of us are going through enormous changes in life priorities, it’s very disappointing to think that those you trusted have used or duped you, that is until rewinding everything and seeing through the empty words and those games of Pass The Corporate Agenda that were played

Bitter? Nah. Disappointed, but when having already been disappointed by pretty much the same team, one looks back at something that continues to wobble along like yet another presentation of jello going nowhere.

For those who might be wondering what I am talking about, those in my inner circle understand very well about what they refer to as the “Then Not Now Caper”.

This started out when “generosity” got the better of me and I thought that after two years of a parting of the ways, I would smoke the peace pipe with Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, below, the Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO, whom I once regarded as a friend until he, well, brought out the German porky pies and gave what I had created- the Happy Wednesday brand- to a couple of new hires.

Though understanding that he had all the right in the world to do this for whatever reason and how changes are part of life, the need for the porky pies wasn’t nearly fine, especially when I already knew what was coming down the pike.

Letting bygones be bygones, this year, I sent The Man Called EB, an idea for Hong Kong racing’s flagship product known as the Longines Hong Kong International Races: Because these are international races, perhaps he should consider the multi cultural and international group known as Now United?

The Benetton poster type of group was managed by someone I had met almost twenty years ago- Simon Fuller. At the time, I was heading EMI Music in the region, he was at the top of his game as an entertainment industry golden boy and needed the music company to help him sell and launch a reality show in China called Pop Princess.

Pop Princess didn’t happen for various reasons, but mainly because Intellectual Copyright and Property Laws are rather loose in China, and part of the format for the show was copied and appeared in the country under a different name.

As for Now United, the head of the HKJC liked the idea of the group performing during HKIR week and, of course, saw the benefits of having a top brand name in the world of entertainment like Simon Fuller of American Idol fame in his corner.

If not an opportunist in this competitive world, one becomes an aging wallflower and where’s that going to take anyone who wants to remain relevant?

But even opportunists must have mutual respect and trust, right?

Simon Fuller and his female CEO came out to Hong Kong and the four of us- Winfried and myself and the two of them- had lunch at a Chinese restaurant in the new HKJC clubhouse and, at least on the surface, all seemed hunky dory.

Where I saw the first real signs of red flags waving in the sunset was when talk started about marketing the upcoming Lunar Year of the Horse with the HKJC CEO mentioning what a coup it would be to have famous Chinese director Ziang “Raise The Red Lantern” Yimou involved. 

Ziang Yimou and his team had also worked on the very successful Shanghai Expo and I saw Simon Fuller, quite understandably, seemingly get the jitterbugs of excitement and hunger pangs for possible business opportunities.

Going through one of my more pragmatic moments, I was thinking about budgets, timing,  creative partnerships, the use of Public Service Announcements, and what exactly would the very British Simon Fuller bring to the humongous China table.

I needn’t have worried because no one managed to even get hold of Ziang Yimou.

Over the next couple of months, there was also mention of another Fuller project called the Academy Of Pop opening up in Hong Kong, talk about a performance by Andreas Bocelli for the Lunar New Year celebrations, plenty of long distance phone calls and messages between Hong Kong and Los Angeles and London and I was starting to hyperventilate because of not seeing much progress.

The HKJC CEO was nice enough to send me a video for the Academy Of Pop with no explanation which was strange, though even stranger was a beautifully crafted music video filmed in the murky backstreets of somewhere in Hong Kong with dancers- Now United?-moving around to an early Bobby Brown hit.

And?

Though having other things to do with my life, I was still wondering where Now United could fit into any of all this everything- and if there was anything interesting enough for me wanting to be part of something worthwhile.

There was mention about some loosey goosey role, but with teams from X1X and the HKJC involved, I didn’t understand who the creative director was and how it would all function in a, well, now and united way, and who would be accountable for guiding this runaway train. 

Though Simon Fuller, a soft spoken man, kept mentioning that I would be working with him, I still didn’t understand what this actually meant with regards to what I might be doing.

I received some sort of contract from X1X for a “finder’s fee” and which I didn’t sign as this was a tad demeaning whereas the legal advice received from my side was blunt: Don’t drink the Kool Aid.

As I kept mentioning almost on Repeat to the CEO of X1X who seemed to have a hard time understanding what I was saying, having worked as the Director of Creative Services on the McDonald’s business for over twenty years, I come from an advertising background, which is very structured with clear cut objectives and strategies and job responsibilities. Things were never a free for all.

With the Now United project, something simple, and which might have worked in helping to market the Hong Kong brand had, at least to me, become a convoluted fruitcake.

I was thinking that THIS was the reality show, how I could OWN it, and so started to film everything I could on my mobile phone- random sound bites from different people including an executive with the HKJC mentioning something about “impact Sunday” and what sounded like “Zheng Xiao”. He meant Gen Z.

Moving right along, and despite being a good host at dinners for the group and members of X1X, this project wasn’t for me.

Time is money and I was wasting my time for free.

I clearly didn’t understand the concept nor whether this group, put together in 2019, was retro pop or a new version of the old SClub7, who were also managed by Simon, and what was its USP.

I didn’t see where they fit into the Hong Kong 2025 model despite much of the filming done at the one time police married headquarters now known as Tai Kwun and the group making cameo appearances at the horse races and people asking, “Are they an all girl soccer team?” and “Are they part of a new airline?”

Could more have been done to setup their appearance in December at the HKIR weekend? Yes.

The “citywide search” to find a Hong Kong member for Now United was, apparently, a series of auditions held behind closed doors and is said to have attracted “over 8000 contestants”. Wah!

The winner was almost going to be a quirky looking girl from Shenzhen whose singing abilities were somewhat unknown, but she was eventually passed over for a girl from Hong Kong and what one now sees is who one gets.

So, is this an all girl singing and dancing group spreading good vibes wherever they go or some nice girls flouncing around Hong Kong in their PE outfits?

One wonders who was in charge of giving direction built around ONE BIG IDEA, and how, by now, this could have been something so much more than it is.

What was the HKJC’s ROI other than streaming numbers?

This group is not made up of celebrities. Their names are unknown, so what was the point of having them show up at the races?

The wife of champion jockey Zac Purton is a bigger celebrity for Hong Kong’s racing regulars.

What also was the point of another cameo- this time by Hong Kong Canto Popster, horse owner and good friend of the HKJC CEO in Aaron Kwok- dropping by to watch the group rehearse, filmed offering them tips and then furiously gyrating with the group?

Apparently, there was even the idea of having the 70 year old HKJC CEO join in the kumbaya dance.

The choreography for the group is under the guidance of someone with a brilliant international track record of working with some of the biggest names in music, so, what was the point of these Sideshow Bob moments?

Couldn’t there perhaps have been a flash mob moment at the races? Or a conga line?

Perhaps by now there could have been an upbeat song about Hong Kong in English and Cantonese/Putonghua with guest artists from “Hong Kong, China”?

Maybe an entertaining way to introduce the members of Now United to Hong Kong who have never heard of them?

Isn’t this Marketing 101?

This is what I would have done, but my role in bringing the two parties together and a simple and relevant idea turned into something meaningless with a cherry on top and the usual German porky pies.

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Always remembered: Jane Goodall who taught us to be kind, caring and respectful of each other and our environment and those who live in it now and for the generations to come.