Video Advertising Trends in Hong Kong in 2025

Hong Kong, a tiny city, has always been a battleground for digital marketing. However, in recent years, if your advertising strategy has remained limited to images and text, then sorry, you may have missed the fastest train on the "digital superhighway"—video ads!

Wondering why video ads are taking the Hong Kong market by storm? Consider these stats: According to a report by Statista, Hong Kong's digital advertising revenue is projected to reach a staggering US$460 million by 2025, with video ads expected to be one of the fastest-growing categories. Whether you're a small shop owner or a mid-sized business owner, if you haven't jumped on this bandwagon yet, now is the time!

This article will analyze the three core trends in Hong Kong video advertising in 2025 and provide practical advice to help you successfully break through in this competitive market!

Trend 1: 15 seconds of golden opportunity to attract attention

Hong Kong life is incredibly fast-paced, and people's attention spans are limited to mere seconds. This is why short-form video platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok have taken the world by storm, becoming a prime battleground for brands vying for attention.

According to a WeAreSocial report, Hong Kong's social media penetration rate is as high as 86.6%, and these users spend a significant amount of time scrolling through short videos daily. We've seen that TikTok's global user viewing time has even surpassed YouTube, and this trend is equally strong in Hong Kong. Just imagine: your potential customers are likely scrolling through their phones, waiting for that 15-60 second creative rush!

Hong Kong example:

• Local restaurant brand Bakehouse uses Reels to stream daily cooking processes, new product tastings, and interviews with the owner, successfully attracting young people to check in and rapidly gaining popularity at its branches. Their videos often incorporate pop music and local memes, making viewers smile and naturally remember the brand.

• IKEA Hong Kong: Through YouTube Shorts, they humorously showcase different products, or even how a single item can be transformed into multiple styles and uses. Their concise and clear videos garner tens of thousands of views each, often leading to direct traffic to their online or physical store.

SME Action Guide:

1. Creativity First, Humor as a Plus: Hong Kong people appreciate local humor. Try to combine local culture, popular slang, or a contrast in cuteness to make your short videos stand out.
   
   

2. Leverage Popular Challenges and Music: Keep up with the trending challenges and popular music on the platform. Creating content based on these trends can significantly boost your content's visibility.
   
   

3. Clear and Concise Call-to-Action (CTA): Don't make your audience guess! At the end of the video or in the description, clearly tell them what to do next, such as "Click the link in our bio to shop!" or "Leave a comment and tell us which one is your favourite!"
   
   

4. Post Regularly to Stay Active: Short-form videos require frequent updates to maintain momentum. Consider incorporating this into your regular marketing schedule.

Trend 2: AI for Hyper-personalized advertising and content generation

AI, a term that seemed distant just five years ago, has now quietly integrated into every aspect of video advertising—from content generation to audience targeting. In 2025, brands that know how to leverage AI will have an unprecedented competitive advantage!

According to an eMarketer report, 68% of marketers in North America plan to use AI to generate insights and recommendations within a year, while 63% intend to use it for content generation and ideation. Imagine your ads are no longer "shotgun blasts," but are precisely targeted to the people "most likely" to become your customers.

Furthermore, with the rise of AI video generation tools like Sora and Runway ML, the barrier and cost of producing high-quality video ads are being drastically reduced. A production that once cost tens of thousands of dollars and took weeks to complete might now be finished for just a few thousand dollars in days—or even hours.

Hong Kong Case Studies:

• Coca-Cola used Real Magic AI to launch a Christmas-themed advertisement, "The Holiday Magic is coming." This heartwarming video, which combines AI with a hand-drawn style, has received over 8 million views on YouTube.

• KitKat used an ad called "Have AI Break" to humorously use quirky images and scripts generated by early AI to reinterpret its core brand spirit of "taking a break", successfully narrowing the distance with consumers in a self-deprecating way.

Action Guide for SMEs:

1. Embrace AI-powered data analysis tools: Leverage the AI ​​optimization features built into platforms like Google Ads and Meta Ads to help you find your optimal audience.
   
   
2. Explore AI-powered production tools: Even free or low-cost AI tools can help you quickly generate video assets or optimize existing content. For example, use AI to write ad copy or generate background music.
   
   
3. A/B testing is key: Leverage the efficiency of AI to create multiple ad versions for A/B testing, identify the best-performing ads, and continuously optimize.

Related article:

The Best Coca-Cola Advertisements in Hong Kong

Will AI replace advertising? What does it mean for advertising agencies?

5 Best Uses of AI-Generated Content in Advertising in 2024

Trend 3: The real charm of micro-influencers and KOCs (key opinion consumers)

In Hong Kong, celebrity endorsements are undoubtedly influential, but for small and medium-sized businesses with limited budgets, partnering with micro-influencers or key opinion leaders (KOCs), who have loyal followers, high engagement rates, and produce content that's more relevant to everyday life, often offers a higher return on investment.

Data shows that the average engagement rate for micro-influencers is typically 20-30% higher than that of larger influencers. In Hong Kong, a market that values ​​community and word-of-mouth, a testimonial from a real user can be far more persuasive than cold advertising slogans. People are more likely to trust recommendations from friends and those similar to themselves.

Hong Kong Case Studies:

• Pause It, a Kowloon Bay cafe with a minimalist, industrial-inspired interior, is full of design. Instead of spending big on celebrity endorsements, they focused on hiring local lifestyle and food Instagram influencers with between 5,000 and 30,000 followers.

Related articles:

Influencer Marketing in 2025 - How to Succeed?

IG Ad Costs

YouTube Advertising Cost

• Wing On Department Store, a long-established retail brand in Hong Kong, has actively embraced digital marketing in recent years. One of its successful strategies has been collaborating with local KOCs and lifestyle micro-influencers to promote its home products department in a youthful way.

Action Guide for SMEs:

1. Precise Matching, Not Blind Pursuit: Select micro-influencers or KOCs that closely align with your brand image, product positioning, and target audience, rather than simply looking at follower count.
   
   
2. Build Authentic Relationships: Develop long-term partnerships with influencers, ensuring they truly understand and endorse your products. This will make their recommendations more persuasive.
   
   
3. Co-create Content, Not One-Way Demands: Allow micro-influencers greater creative freedom; their content often resonates more deeply with their followers.
   
   
4. Tracking and Evaluating Results: Utilize unique discount codes, tracking links, or partner with data analytics tools to quantify the effectiveness of micro-influencer marketing.

Conclusion

The Hong Kong video advertising market in 2025 is fraught with both challenges and golden opportunities. From the fast-paced culture of short videos to the precise magic of AI; from authentic recommendations from micro-influencers to seamless shopping via social commerce—each trend suggests that if you leverage video advertising flexibly, your brand will have endless possibilities.

Don't worry about limited budgets or technical complexities. The most important thing is to start experimenting, learning, and optimizing now. Remember, your brand story deserves to be told in the most vivid and engaging way possible.