7th HK Digital Advertising Startups X Publishing Support Scheme

The Hong Kong Digital Advertising Startups X Publishing (Writers) Promotion Support Scheme (the “Support Scheme”), organized by the Hong Kong Association of Interactive Marketing (HKAIM) and supported by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) as the lead sponsor, has been nurturing local digital advertising startups since its inception in 2018. By providing funding and professional training, the Support Scheme enables these startups to design bespoke digital advertising campaigns for local emerging writers, promoting their designated works. The initiative fosters cross-sectoral collaboration between emerging writers, the publishing industry, and the digital advertising industry, creating more opportunities for growth and development.

Entering its 7th edition, the Support Scheme received an overwhelming response to its call for applications, which closed in late 2024, with 50 digital advertising startups and 21 emerging writers. The HKAIM has selected 12 teams, each consisting of a digital advertising startup and an emerging writer. The designated books of the participating emerging writers cover a wide range of topics, including education, sports, spirituality, history, music, counseling, science, workplace, comics, picture books, and more. The diversity in subject matter is expected to inspire innovative digital advertising campaigns from the startups.

The HKAIM successfully kicked off the 7th Support Scheme with a Launch Ceremony at Seminar Hall, Xiqu Centre, on 20 January. Mr. Alex So, Head (Multi-media) of CCIDA, was invited as the Guest of Honor. Along with him, HKAIM Chairman Mr. Francis Fong and Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Publishing Federation Mr. William So launched this year’s Support Scheme by announcing the 12 participating teams. (Full list below.)

Each digital advertising startup will receive a subsidy of up to HK$260,000 to design, plan, and execute a digital advertising campaign for the designated book of their matched emerging writer. In addition, the HKAIM will provide training by industry experts, helping participants improve the creative concept and execution of their digital advertising campaigns. The Support Scheme not only facilitates collaboration between the digital advertising and publishing industries, but also promotes Chinese books through viral digital campaigns, cultivating a stronger reading culture.

Furthermore, the HKAIM will promote the participating digital advertising startups and emerging writers, along with their selected books, through various promotional channels, including the Support Scheme’s official website, internet, and social media. Last year, the 6th Support Scheme successfully launched 11 digital advertising projects, which reached nearly 19.56 million people, with nearly 1.33 million engagements and almost 7.38 million views. These campaigns effectively brought attention to the selected books and helped deliver accurate messages from the books to target audiences, fostering reader-writer engagement. The HKAIM is optimistic that this year’s Support Scheme will achieve equally outstanding results.

The HKAIM will also host a booth at the Hong Kong Book Fair 2025 in July to showcase the 12 digital advertising campaigns and the designated books. Additionally, the Digital Advertising Design (for Publishing) Awards Competition and Presentation Ceremony will be held to recognize the best digital advertising campaign among the 12, as determined by industry experts. The “My Favourite Digital Advertising (for Publishing) Award”, based on public voting, will also be presented at the ceremony. The Presentation Ceremony will highlight innovative digital advertising campaigns and celebrate the efforts of the participating teams.

The 12 selected pairs of digital advertising startups and emerging writers for the 7th Support Scheme are listed in alphabetical order (according to Start-up) as follows: