Ogilvy HSI:HK SERIOUS INSIGHTS

all the

single ladies

From your friendly planners Clarissa, Wendy & Ruby, May 2012

Photo: Zstyle

Photo: YouTube

So

what’s

the big

deal?Photo: China Mobile

Not only do women in their 30s

outnumber men by 30% (an angle for the

HK Tourism Board perhaps?), but patchy

Western-style education has spawned a

mismatch in expectations.

While girls have been taught to study hard

to become independent women, they

grow up to face a society that expects

them to get married and men who expect

them to be “dumb and cute”.

Too smart to handle?

Photo: Vision First

Henri Choi Photography

Life goal: marriageChinese culture values conformity over

individualism: HKers cleave to tradition rather than

form and defend alternative lifestyles.

Even now there are few officially gay celebrities –

singer Anthony Wong made waves when he finally

came out last month, despite years of writing songs

that made it clear he‟s gay.

Tellingly, the Chinese word for ‘happiness’ 幸福 is

never applied to single people, female or male.Photo: Henri Choi Photography

You judge, I judge

HKers‟ worst nightmare is to be judged. So they go on the attack to defend their own„face‟.

Cantonese slang is full of epithets for different types of people e.g. „leftover women‟, „HK girls‟, „toxic men‟, „home-hermit men‟… putting even more pressure on people to do what society expects of them.

“The more you

do or say,

the more you

will be wrong.”

- local saying

Photo: Lefty

Sexual immaturityHarsh judgement extends to the realm of relationships, where cool passivity is the only accepted attitude that women can have.

Sex has been so censured that HK attitudes remain juvenile: women can choose between the role of the innocent teenage first love, or that of the wet dream goddess (pseudo-models like ChrissyChau).

HK over-reacts to sex: just witness people‟s shock and outrage at pick-up artisttactics featured the TV show, their digs at how „desperate‟ the participating women must be, local tabloids‟ excitement over any cleavage…

Photo: Spider Daily Photo: Stacy life

What can a brand do with all this?

- Laugh about it: Make people smile at the excesses of HK‟s

neuroticism and paranoia

- Celebrate singledom: Could the term „leftover/flourishing women‟ lose its

sting and be adopted with pride (like „cougar‟ in the

west)?

- Encourage choice: Give people the confidence to embrace whatever

way they want to live their life – triple married,

single for life, or anything in between.

- Play Cupid: Help people find love – earnestly or playfully!

What do you think?

Tell us on Facebook.com/OgilvyHSI

Photo: Briyen