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Ka Yan Chung, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong KongAbstract
This study develops a conceptual framework of Threadvertising Branding, a new form of storytelling-based brand communication that integrates narrative immersion, platform affordances, and audience engagement on Threads, Meta’s emerging text-based social platform. Using the 2025 Hong Kong film Peg O’ My Heart (贖夢) as a case study, the research examines how the production team constructed a film character persona, Choi San Keung, to connect cinematic narrative with real-time social interaction. The campaign began when a post by a supposed netizen appeared on Threads, showing a candid photo of Choi San Keung sleeping on the MTR. Whether this post was an organic encounter, or a coordinated marketing act remained deliberately ambiguous, heightening public curiosity. Shortly after, Choi San Keung, through his Threads account, uploaded a series of late-night voice recordings and posts that blurred the boundary between fiction and reality. Over the next two weeks, this diegetic storytelling approach built emotional connection and intrigue before the official trailer was released. Subsequent events, including a face-to-face nightmare-sharing session, further encouraged audience participation and deepened the sense of co-presence with the character. Through this integrated strategy, the advertising campaign demonstrated how Threadvertising can function as pre-launch promotion, participatory narrative, and community-building mechanism. The film’s eventual box office success underscores the cultural and commercial potential of such hybrid branding practices. This paper synthesizes insights from transmedia storytelling, participatory culture, and digital branding theories to propose a conceptual framework of Threadvertising Branding.
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Conference: ACAH2026Stream: Arts - Media Arts Practices: Television
This paper is part of the ACAH2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Chung K. (2026) Developing a Conceptual Framework of Threadvertising Branding: The Case of Peg O’ My Heart (2025) ISSN: 2186-229X – The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities 2026 Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 105-120) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-229X.2026.9
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-229X.2026.9
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