NEWS & EVENTS

Two School of Communication alumni from the public relations agency 5ives Communications led a guest session for students in PRAO4037 Narrative and Brand Storytelling on 21 September 2026. The course is taught by Mr Basil Cheung, a part-time lecturer in the department, who invited both speakers.

Crystal Wai, Managing Director of 5ives Communications and a 2008 Organizational Communication graduate of COMS, spoke on "How might we tell a good story for corporate publicity". She drew on case studies from the agency's client work.

The second half of the class was a workshop. Students built personas for target audience segments and developed campaign ideas using narrative and storytelling techniques. Ms Wai and her colleague Louise Yuen, a 2016 Chinese Journalism graduate of the School, coached the groups and pushed their work toward the standard expected by real clients.

The session took place four days after the PR Awards Hong Kong 2026, organised by Marketing-Interactive. There, 5ives Communications was recognised as PR Team of the Year (Agency) and Ms Wai as PR Leader of the Year (Agency). The agency's campaign for Hong Kong Disneyland's 20th anniversary received gold for Best Storytelling Strategy.

PRAO4037 is open to students in Year 3 and above. It examines how brands use storytelling to build their image and connect with audiences, and students develop their own narratives.