SHANGHAI: Coca-Cola and Pepsi continue to rely on star power in China,
although a media survey shows that just 20 per cent of mainland youth
are convinced by celebrity endorsements.
Optimum Media Direction's Roar survey found that Chinese youth had one
of the lower acceptance scores across eight regional markets towards
celebrity campaigns.
But the cola brands remain star-struck. For the second year running,
Hong Kong teen idol Nicholas Tse is fronting Coca-Cola's nationwide
China campaign to push the idea that the brand is part of every great
moment in people's lives.
Rival Pepsi has meanwhile roped in another Cantopop star Edison Chan for
its summer promotion, which breaks this month on CCTV. A second
promotion for summer will feature Kelly Chen, another Cantopop
singer.
In the "Backstage" TVC, Tse goes backstage to refresh himself with a
Coke after a concert. But his fans keep chanting his name as they scream
for an encore.
The aim of the campaign is to show that life tastes good and it can get
better as Tse goes back on stage to party with his fans until dawn.
McCann-Erickson Guangming Shanghai created the campaign, which is
running on CCTV and is supported by outdoor. The agency's managing
director, Melvin Chua, said the objective is to show that "Coke is part
of every great moment in life. Not just the big moments but those that
make people realise the optimism in life".
For China, this message plays on the strong levels of optimism among the
younger generation, who are said to be particularly bullish about their
future, according to recent surveys.
Chua said Tse's appeal matches that of the brand as he reflects youthful
dynamism and spontaneousness. "Coca-Cola's headquarters voted this ad as
the best of all launch ads around the world as the strategy fully
matched what is expected of Coke," said Chua.
Fiona Chen, the agency's creative director, said feedback has been
strong in Shanghai, where consumers have asked for posters of Tse.
