Shanghai Express
Michael Weinzettl looks back at some amazing ads made in Shanghai.
Two weeks from now, on the 16th of February, the Chinese celebrate their New Year. According to the Chinese 12-year animal zodiac cycle, it will be the year of the Dog. (Apparently Dog years are believed to be most unlucky for people born in previous years of the Dog.) So I though it might be an opportunity to look at some of the ads (print and TV) made in China, and specifically in Shanghai. As opposed to Hong Kong, which has a long-lasting special status, Shanghai cannot look back on a long British-influenced tradition in ads. That makes the quality of work coming from Shanghai even more astonishing. Take a look at my selection of print ads and commercials that all featured in Archive over the years and see if you agree.
Ad for the business translation service ElaN Languages featuring snapshots of some of the most mistranslated “Chinglish” words and phrases across China.
Client: ELaN languages. Agency: JWT, Shanghai. CD: Norman Tan, Carlos Camacho. AD: Supparat Thepparat, Nattagorn Thairattanasuwan, Long Yao Chua. Copywriter: Carlos Camacho, Theresa Ong, Pathida Akkarajindanon. Photographer: Nemesis Pictures Typographer: Wei Shi. Digital Artist: Low Mei Ling
Campaign for The Samaritans, a non-profit organization providing confidential emotional support to people who are suicidal or dealing with general distress.
Client: The Samaritans. Agency: Y&R, Shanghai. CD: Ong Kien Hoe. AD: Ong Kien Hoe, Simon Fong, Leah Chen. Copywriter: Emir Shafri. Illustrator: Owen Gent
End the battle between hot and cold. Sakura water heaters for perfect temperatures.
Client: Sakura. Agency: JWT, Shanghai. CD: Norman Tan, Chao Zhang, Salome Zhang. AD: Chao Zhang. Copywriter: Theresa Ong, Salome Zhang. Photographer: Illusion, Bangkok. Illustrator: Illusion, Bangkok
Client: Bejing Subway. Agency: Grey Group, Beijing. CD: Alvin Lim, Marx Zhu, He Jun. AD: Marx Zhu, He Jun, Yang Jianfeng. Copywriter: Alvin Lim. Photographer. Matjaz Tancic. Digital Artist: Heizi Shanghai
Client: Samsonite. Agency: JWT, Shanghai. CD: Yang Yeo. AD: Adam Pamungkas. Photographer: Illusion, Bangkok. Illustrator: Illusion, Bangkok. Digital Artist: Illusion, Bang
How does it feel to be skinned alive? Animals in Chinese fur farms wouldn’t have to find out if more of us said no to fur. Ad for the animal rights organization PETA.
Client: PETA. Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, Beijing. CD: Graham Fink , Juggi Ramakrishnan, Wilson Chow. AD: Xingsheng Qi, Ming Law, Morris Ku. Copywriter: Kweichee Lam, Guilin Bo, Awing Chen. Photographer: Xie Yong. Digital Artist: Xie Yong
Don’t let germs settle down. Poster for Maxam brand toothpaste.
Client: Maxam. Agency: JWT, Shanghai. CD: Hattie Cheng. AD: Haoxi Lv, Danny Li. Copywriter: Chanfron Zhao. Illustrator: Illusion, Bangkok. Digital Artist: Illusion, Bangkok
Pepsi
Pepsi “The Monkey King Family”# A long-format narrative spot tracing the history and tradition of the enduring Monkey King spirit and the way in which performance arts skills are handed down from generation to generation. A Lunar New Year commercial for 2016, the Year of the Monkey, in which we also discover the part in all this played by Pepsi.
Sakura
Sakura: “Water Relay”# Right in line with the environmental awareness theme, two very different men in this grotesquely amusing commercial take a shower together. For all other, less sociable beings, there is the Eco Water Heater from Sakura, which, from the second shower taken, cuts the emissions of a conventional water heater by half.
Shangahai Genereal Motors
Shanghai General Motors: “Human Traffic Sign”# A moving campaign in which the victims of road accidents themselves hold up traffic signs that drivers evidently failed to heed. A spot for Shanghai General Motors
Friends Of Nature Shanghai
Friends Of Nature Shanghai: “Destroy”# Illustrations of diggers with shovels made of chopsticks as seen here are designed to highlight the worst case scenario for the planet if we continue to use resources so wastefully. A spot from Friends Of Nature Shanghai urging people to switch to reusable chopsticks.
Kotex
Kotex: “Cat”# Be it from her cats or the dream guy in her life, a woman expects maximum flexibility and absolute submission to all her own needs. And today’s feminine pad, as produced by Kotex, has to be no less adaptable.
