The branded content initiative is the first of its kind in the mainland by a print publisher, and comes as rival Vogue prepares to launch a lifestyle TV show for mainland audiences.
Louis Vuitton, Martell, L’Oreal and Procter & Gamble have also lined up as supporting sponsors for Esquire Runway. The Rmb 30 million (US$4.3 million) film is being produced in conjunction with China Film Group, and features the magazine’s fictional editor as the key protagonist. It deals with the experiences of a chief editor who joins Esquire and attempts to build the magazine’s profile in the face of competition.
Louis Vuitton, Martell, L’Oreal and Procter & Gamble have also lined up as supporting sponsors for Esquire Runway. The Rmb 30 million (US$4.3 million) film is being produced in conjunction with China Film Group, and features the magazine’s fictional editor as the key protagonist. It deals with the experiences of a chief editor who joins Esquire and attempts to build the magazine’s profile in the face of competition.
Cadillac is using the film as a platform to launch three new models of its CTS range. Louis Vuitton, meanwhile, is sponsoring the clothes of Alex Fong Chung-sun, the Hong Kong actor in the lead role. Other characters will be dressed in Christian Dior and Givenchy, and accessorised by L’Oreal and Mac.
Seven ads from the sponsoring brands will precede the film, with all creative and media planning handled in-house, according to GM and associate publisher Shirley Zhang Xiao-dong. Carat China communications planning director Seth Grossman, noted: “It’s more than just product placement, as they are moving into branded content and story development, which is more powerful than simply inserting your products in somebody else’s story.”
