24 April 2024

The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) signed a memorandum of cooperation with AS Watson Group late last year to enhance the academic and career development of HSUHK students. The agreement includes scholarships, internships, and an early careers programme. The collaboration will also offer opportunities for joint applied research projects. The first cooperation project was held in the first quarter of 2024 with PARKnSHOP Supermarket (PARKnSHOP), a subsidiary of AS Watson Group. HSUHK and PARKnSHOP organised an “Idea Co-creation” workshop and competition. HSUHK’s Department of Marketing invited students to use their creativity and provide new brand identity strategies for PARKnSHOP’s new mascots. The competition helped kickstart innovative marketing ideas for PARKnSHOP, and enhanced students’ experience in cooperating with a large-scale business.

About 30 students in seven teams participated in the competition. After attending a workshop to learn about the branding concept of PARKnSHOP’s new mascots, “BEST GUY” and “EASY”, students had less than two hours to come up with campaign ideas using their knowledge in areas across advertising, integrated marketing communications, brand management, consumer behaviour, and service marketing. They discussed and presented their new brand identity strategies and ideas to a judging panel consisting of representatives from HSUHK and PARKnSHOP management, who selected and presented awards to the top three teams. Students with potential will also be selected for internship opportunities in PARKnSHOP’s Marketing Department.

Professor Simon S M Ho, President of HSUHK, expressed his delight for the first kick-off programme, stating “I am pleased to be witnessing our student’s work and ideas being incorporated into PARKnSHOP’s brand enhancement campaign. This collaboration provides students with a rare opportunity to showcase their critical thinking and creativity for real branding campaigns.”

Ms Freda Ng, Managing Director of PARKnSHOP (Hong Kong and Macau), stated, “PARKnSHOP is honoured to be the first brand of AS Watson Group to implement the plan after the Group signed a memorandum of cooperation with HSUHK. Through this competition, we recognised the boundless potential of college students at the University. It brings us great joy to provide educational and practical opportunities to students in the Department of Marketing, enabling them to gain a comprehensive understanding of the retail industry. By applying the theories learned in the classroom to real-world scenarios, we aim to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to emerge as future leaders in the retail sector.”

Representing the winning team, Year 3 Marketing student Ng Pui-man said that this programme was an excellent opportunity for her and her classmates to apply textbook knowledge in practice and enrich their learning experience. “During the Q&A session, we were able to get direct feedback from the PARKnSHOP management team which helped us further convey our ideas in a clear and comprehensive manner, and enhanced our problem-solving and critical thinking skills. This was truly a valuable learning experience and we are excited that our strategies and ideas can be applied in reality.”

PARKnSHOP’s new characters “BEST GUY” and “EASY” are about to make a grand debut on various offline and online platforms. This exciting launch includes with a series of limited-time offers, exclusive products, and brand collaborations, these introductions will unveil a fresh image and a new chapter for PARKnSHOP. Stay tuned for the latest updates on PARKnSHOP’s offline and online platforms.