香港的感覺：維他奶的廣告形象變遷（1940-2010）

The Feeling of Hong Kong: The Changing Advertising Image of Vitasoy (1940-2010)

本文分析香港本土具代表性的飲料品牌維他奶（Vitasoy）於創立以來在廣告中的形象變遷。維他奶初推出時，主要以牛奶代用品的形象及近似的商業模式來銷售，於二戰後改變定位，並漸漸興起成為香港的獨特品牌。維他奶各個時期的廣告均有其側重點，如1950年代突顯其充飢、營養的一面，到1970、1980年代強調味道以至成長及時尚，至1990年代，指向港人的回憶與情感等，建立了獨有的品牌附帶價值。本文提出，雖然本土性是維他奶銷售初期的不利因素，但是維他奶成功藉出色的廣告與宣傳手法克服。然而，因應香港的經濟及政治環境的演化，在1980年代，本土及維他奶在香港的歷史，漸漸轉變為廣告宣傳上的有利元素，維他奶以此將品牌扣連到港人的經歷、情感與日常生活上，提升了產品的銷售量。最重要的是，維他奶在香港多年的歷史，早已深深滲入市民的生活中，加上其廣泛的廣告營銷，最終使品牌在香港擁有了極強的在地性及日常性，在相當意義上代表了香港及香港人這一身分。

This article examines the transformation of the advertising image of Vitasoy, a representative local beverage brand in Hong Kong, from its founding through 2010. When Vitasoy was first launched with its soymilk product, it was marketed primarily as a milk substitute and followed a similar commercial model. After the war, it repositioned itself and gradually emerged as a unique brand in Hong Kong. Vitasoy’s advertisements in different periods each had their own emphases: in the 1950s, they highlighted its hunger-quenching and nutritious qualities; in the 1970s and 1980s, the focus shifted to taste, growth, and fashion; and by the 1990s, the advertisements evoked nostalgia and emotional resonance among Hongkongers, thereby establishing a distinctive set of brand-associated values. This article argues that although localness was initially a disadvantage for Vitasoy’s sales, the brand successfully overcame this through effective advertising and promotional strategies. However, with the evolution of Hong Kong’s economic and political environment, by the 1980s, both localness and Vitasoy’s history in Hong Kong gradually became advantageous elements in advertising. Vitasoy used this to link the brand to the experiences, emotions, and everyday lives of Hongkongers, effectively boosting product sales.
Most importantly, Vitasoy’s long-standing history in Hong Kong has deeply permeated the lives of its citizens. Coupled with its extensive advertising and marketing, the brand ultimately came to possess a strong sense of locality and everydayness in Hong Kong, and in a significant sense, came to represent Hong Kong and the identity of Hongkongers.