On Aug 02, students paid visits to two prestigious organizations in the commercial and governmental sectors respectively - MetLife Brand Center and Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO).
Being listed as a Fortune 500 Company as well as earning the title of the largest life insurer in the United States has made it essential for MetLife to project a consistent public image.
At the Brand Center, students learned from two MetLife consultants about its advertising history and how it came to adopt the iconic Snoopy as its ambassador. MetLife has signed on to be a Global Sponsor and the Official Insurance Company of the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Students are enthusiastic and ask several questions about the branding of MetLife during the whole visit. Said Yuan Jingting, a student from Macau University of Science and Technology, "This is the first time I have looked at the marketing campaigns of any organization in such depth. The transformation is actually really interesting!"
Students then visited the New York office of HKETO, one of the three offices based in the US. As one of the permanent representatives of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, HKETO (NY) functions primarily to fortify the economical and cultural relations between the two regions by introducing Hong Kong as a potential niche market to US investors.
Over the course of two sessions, Mr. Paul Cheng, Deputy Director of the HKETO (NY) gave a comprehensive account of what working for the department entails. In the first Mandarin Session, he focused on the relationship between Hong Kong and Mainland China/the United States. And Then he introduced to Hong Kong students in Cantonese the challenges that an individual keen on a career as an EO and an AO can expect, as well as the sense of satisfaction he gains when he sees the effort of his team comes to fruit.
Luka Fung, a student from The University of Hong Kong, expressed his gratitude at the opportunity to speak with Mr. Cheng. "He was extremely patient even with all the questions we had. You could tell how much thought he puts into his replies."
All in all, the visits were an eye opener for the students and a chance for them to expand their perspectives beyond an academic setting.
