Telum Talks To… Anne Lim-Chaplain, Publisher and Co-Founder, #legend
Interview

Telum Talks To… Anne Lim-Chaplain, Publisher and Co-Founder, #legend

Tell us a bit more about #legend.
#legend was launched in 2015 by Bruce Rockowitz, Steve Rockowitz, Gordon Lam and me. Gordon and I had both just left Prestige – which we’d co-founded in 2005 – and felt that Hong Kong needed a more creative, contemporary, conscious and cutting-edge luxury lifestyle publication.

Since then, #legend has grown into an innovative multimedia platform with a monthly print magazine, daily-updated dynamic website, events and artist management (#legend entertainment), and creative agency (#legend studio) with the latest game-changing digital offerings.

Congratulations on #legend's 5th-anniversary issue in March 2021. From your perspective, what are among the most significant achievements of #legend? What are the challenges that lie ahead?
Thank you! We are very excited for our 5th anniversary month and have planned a multichannel rollout of various exciting projects! From the beginning, we set out to be a luxury lifestyle publication that offers unique and thought-provoking features alongside creative, edgy and daring shoots. In just five years, we’ve not only won two SOPA (Society of Publishers in Asia) awards for our in-depth features and innovative magazine design layouts – we’ve also firmly established ourselves as one of Asia’s most creative luxury lifestyle publications that top international brands seek out and want to partner with on campaigns.

After five years, #legend feels like a big family and I am so proud of what our team has accomplished so far. We are also very grateful for the support of our community of international and regional celebrities, industry leaders, influencers, tastemakers and valued clients. It has been amazing to have so many #legends on our covers such as John Legend, David Beckham, Coco Lee, Jaejoong, Gemma Chan, Marc Jacobs, Demi Lovato, Chiara Ferragni, Donnie Yen, CL, Joe Jonas, Lionel Richie and Nicole Richie. We’ve also had so much fun creating innovative print and digital campaigns for our clients including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Mont Blanc, Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels, Audemars Piguet, Rimowa and Samsung.

Other than our incredible cover stars and campaigns for some of the world’s top luxury brands, we’re also incredibly proud of the #legend100 list that we first pioneered in 2017. The #legend100 celebrates the world’s top influencers and talents each year, and it has become an indispensable and well-respected resource for brands and influencers alike. From covering Asia’s top influencers trends in Hong Kong, Mainland China to big names in fashion, prepare to see more from #legend as we continue to shed light on the need-to-know movers and shakers of social media. After we celebrated the #legend100 with a party on March 30th, we’re looking forward to hosting more of our signature and legendary events.

As #legend is also available in digital format, what are your strategies to embrace the constantly changing media landscape in Hong Kong?
#legend has always been digital-first and digital savvy, as you can see from our website that’s constantly updated with the latest need-to-know news and luxury lifestyle trends. We understand that our readers consume content in various different channels, so we have always offered them the option of reading our print magazine on different digital platforms as well as directly off our website and social media channels. Going forward, expect to see even more digital-first initiatives from #legend – many of which will be first in Hong Kong and Asia – including interactive features, animated graphics, 3D storytelling, augmented reality (AR) and more.

In your opinion, how does the luxury lifestyle make an impact on today's society?
A luxury lifestyle is and always will be a form of escapism. It allows people to leave the ‘real world’ challenges behind and explore beautiful things, places and experiences. With COVID-19, consumers are more selective and discerning in their purchases, but they still appreciate well-made and outstanding products. However, many are now also choosing to support local businesses more. We are very conscious that it has been a tough year for everybody and we are grateful that we have been able to pull through and continue to break new grounds in the media world and provide some much-needed respite to our loyal readers.

What's on your agenda for the rest of the year and 2022?
We are currently busy rolling out our latest initiative, #legend studio, which is our brand new in-house creative agency. Having already created impactful, digital campaigns for brands including Rimowa and Montblanc, we are now excited to work with even more consumer brands to help them reach their target audiences and business goals.

Looking ahead, we are also planning to expand #legend across Asia and hope to be in China and Singapore as soon as possible. We are also hoping to bring back our legendary events, as it’s always great to bring our community together to celebrate and give back to our city by supporting local charities. Events are something we have sorely missed in the last 14 months, so fingers crossed we will be able to get back to that soon, in a COVID-responsible way, of course!

What do you look out in a PR pitch? What topics interest you and your team most?
At #legend, we are always on the hunt for new, meaningful, and purposeful stories. A good PR pitch puts a new spin on something, is thought-provoking and impactful. We aim to highlight the positive side of everything and help our readers discover new things about the luxury lifestyle and, most importantly, themselves.

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