Yili campaign tells tales of Olympic spirit exhibited by ordinary Chinese

The official Olympic sponsor of the Chinese Sports Delegation is targeting mainland Chinese consumers with digital engagement initiatives and aiming to inspire them to realise their own Olympic dreams.

Teaming up with Chinese online video-sharing platform Youku, Ogilvy & Mather Advertising created five microfilms that are being launched online, on TV and outdoors.

The first, 'Happy Backpackers', features an elderly couple who have made world travel their personal Olympic challenge. Since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the couple has
backpacked through 46 countries in all seven continents with the belief that good health has
allowed them to travel. It is also airing as a 30-second TV commercial on CCTV and other local channels and as a 15-second spot on outdoor displays.

The second microfilm 'Run, Lao Li' introduces a 62-year-old avid marathon runner who has clocked 25,000 kilometres in the past six years.

With the campaign active until June, three additional microfilms will be released in the coming weeks. In addition, the effort includes two online video teasers, in which Chinese track-and-field Olympic gold medalist Liu Xiang invites consumers to upload their own “Olympic story" videos onto Youku.

Read all of Campaign Asia-Pacific's Sports Marketing Report

Winning video entries will be displayed as print ads on 400 of London’s iconic Routemaster double-decker red buses that will be in operation during the duration of the Games this summer from 23 July to 19 August, to reinforce Yili's core message since its rebranding effort in 2011.

O&M's China president Raymond Tao said, “We wanted to do more than simply highlight the star power of celebrity athletes, so we focused our lenses on ordinary consumers whose real-life stories are often deeply personal and moving.”

 

CREDITS

Project title: “Let’s Olympic Together”
Client: Yili
Brief: To uncover the extraordinary Olympic stories of ordinary people and to emotionally
appeal to consumers to embrace a healthy lifestyle to realize their own Olympic dreams
Creative agency: Ogilvy & Mather Advertising Beijing
Creative Director: CQ Chen
Art Directors: Ivan Lee, Wei Tian, Xiu Feng
Copywriter: CQ Chen
Account Management: Raymond Tao, Cheng GU, KS Hung, Philip Wang, Kevin Li, Ivy
Deng, Sarah E
Partner: Youku
Exposure: Digital, TV, OOH