Meta Agency First Awards 2023 - Reels, AI, and brand advertising are the three key factors that will help brands reach new heights in 2024

Social media marketing is crucial in brand communication, and digital agency plays an important role in connecting brands with consumers through creative and diverse advertising strategies. To recognize advertising and media agencies to continue exercising their creativity and creating business results, Meta held the "Meta Agency First Awards" for the first time in Hong Kong, establishing 8 award categories focusing on strategy, technology and solution adoption, data management, and more. At the same time, Meta observed three major trends in social media marketing from the winning cases: the continuous growth of Reels, the adoption of AI, and the increasing importance of brand advertising. By sharing these trends, we hope to help brands and agencies continue to drive growth of the digital economy in Hong Kong.

Stephanie Chu, Head of Agency, Greater China of Meta said: “On the Meta platform, more than 200 million businesses establish meaningful connections with people every month through Meta technology. The vast majority of brand communications rely on the professional services of agency partners to formulate comprehensive brand strategies, generate creativity, build social engagement, and improve communication effectiveness. For the first time this year, the "Meta Agency First Awards" were established in Hong Kong, showcasing the outstanding performance and abundant energy of agency partners. Congratulations to the winners of the Meta Agency First Awards, and thank you to these partners for growing together with Meta and bringing greater influence to brands, creating deeper connections between businesses and consumers, and thereby vitalizing Hong Kong’s digital economy.”

Through this year's winning cases, Meta derived three major trends in social media marketing:

Reels will continue to grow: According to an eMarketer survey, more than half of the global digital video audience comes from the Asia-Pacific region, and 90% directly use their mobile phones to watch. In Hong Kong, Reels adoption in brand marketing continues to increase in 2023 and is expected to flourish even more in 2024.
The adoption of AI has become more widespread: 2023 is a year of rapid development for Artificial Intelligence. In the future, AI will play an even more important role in the marketing field. Marketers and creative practitioners are testing how Generative AI can be applied to copywriting, creative conceptualization, and even deeper customer insights. AI also drives advertising effectiveness for Meta advertisers. Meta launched AI technology to improve advertising efficiency. Currently, over 50% of advertisers are using AI tools to optimize creative assets, such as adjusting brightness, modifying proportions, and adding filters. These applications will continue to grow in the future.
Diversified communication tools help enhance brand image: On social platforms, brands prefer to mix and match different forms of tools to increase consumer affinity for the brand, such as Reels and collaborations with creators. For many years, Meta has continued to provide innovative methods to help businesses establish brand value and expand their influence. Consumers also expect to interact with brand creativity and express their true self through it, showcasing their personal tastes and preferences.

Meta Agency First Awards Winners List (listed in alphabetical order by company name)