Club Manhattan saw an influx of social media influencers on the night of November 14th in the heart of Wanchai, Hong Kong. Organized by Pony Pong, a renown Hong Kong online celebrity, influencers all across the city gathered to network over drinks and advice on improving their media skills. Pony has pioneered online content creation within Hong Kong and explained the difficulties she faced, yet the “warmth and support I’ve felt from different mentors along the way has inspired me to create a thriving community where we all grow together”.
Pony invited a couple of her mentors to participate in a Q&A session, namely industry giants Angel Hon and Steven Yung, who gave guidance to the fledgling influencers. They spoke of authenticity, becoming your own brand, and how to build a loyal following. They emphasized the need to stick to your own values when navigating tricky contracts and technicalities that an online celebrity would encounter in marketing and public relations. Their message was simple: to amplify your influence, you first need to figure out the message you want to express.
After the Q&A session, Hon explained that the influencer should amplify her voice for a good cause. It was important to spread influence in a charitable way for a better future. Hon confessed that she personally aligned herself towards causes such as children’s rights, senior citizens’ rights, and mental healthcare. She felt strongly about those causes because it affected everyone in the home.
When asked about choosing the right cause to support, Hon answered with a few questions for the influencer to consider: Do you have a personal connection to it? What are the moral reasons deep down? What about the situation do you want to improve? By reflecting and sticking to your answers, the influencer can stay true to herself. Before she went home, Hon expressed her wish for a more conscientious and authentic approach to social media influencing.
Yung echoed Hon’s sentences of authenticity and explained why he mentored Pony in the first place. He offered his mentorship because he was drawn to her authenticity. He believed that integrity was crucial to building your own brand identity. When the influencer honours her own integrity by building honest habits, she builds a valuable community.
His personal philosophies were to always be grateful, enjoy life’s simple pleasures, and to keep learning. Yung stressed that despite his age, he still had lots to learn from the younger generations and joked about his small online following. Even with his impressive résumé and following the industry rules for social media, Yung struggles to attract a large following. He mused that the influencer needs to create a story that resonates with the audience.
Pony’s extravagant Empowerher: Amplifying Female Influence Party ended the night with giveaways from Kosmic, Hue Jewellery, and Yashica Photography. While munching on Honbo Burger and drinking Only Vodka Soda, influencers enjoyed themselves to DJ Suki and DJ Lana for the afterparty.
