FOCUS: AGENCY OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2000 - China Ad Campaign of the year: Certificate of Excellence - Saatchis campaign helps NetEase soar to the top

<p>Category: China Ad Campaign of the Year </p><p>Cert. of Excellence: </p><p>NetEase (www.163.com) </p><p>Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Even though it had been in the marketplace for a few years, Internet </p><p>portal NetEase (www.163.com) had little brand character or value in the </p><p>eyes of the consumer when it appointed Saatchi & Saatchi as its </p><p>advertising agency in China last May. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Today, however, Saatchis has made NetEase one of the best-known portals </p><p>in China, and at the same time win a Certificate of Excellence in the </p><p>China Ad Campaign of the Year category. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Saatchis developed a carefully thought-out strategy, which has become </p><p>the foundation of the entire branding campaign, and which will guide the </p><p>evolution and development of the brand and its associated values through </p><p>the foreseeable future. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This strategy identified the importance of giving consumers respect. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Respect for appreciating the value of NetEase, respect for its heritage, </p><p>respect for being part of a powerful nation built on the strength of </p><p>participation. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>National pride and patriotism were also seen to be powerful motivators </p><p>which had to be taken into account strategically, especially when </p><p>considering the fact that NetEase is essentially a local Chinese company </p><p>which has developed world class, cutting edge technology, such as the </p><p>development of the first Chinese search engine. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As a company, NetEase was also committed to providing access to the </p><p>Internet as a means of developing and enriching the lives of the Chinese </p><p>people. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This raised NetEase above the usual commercial aspirations of other </p><p>portals. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Consequently, the strategy takes into account this aspect of 'national </p><p>betterment' instead of purely retail commercialism. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The slogan "Power to the People" was therefore developed. Since it is a </p><p>motivational slogan, it goes beyond pure rhetoric, promising the </p><p>consumer 'power' through 'participation'. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It has the feeling of self-gain and encourages individual usage of </p><p>NetEase, yet also taps into the national pride of "people power" and the </p><p>fact that by concentrating the effort of so many people, anything is </p><p>possible. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>From this slogan, a range of different Chinese situations was considered </p><p>to demonstrate this "people power". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>These included the building of the Great Wall, the Dragon dance, even </p><p>the national sport of table tennis. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The idea behind each scene was the fact that to be successful, they all </p><p>require a team effort. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>One person alone could not have accomplished much on his own. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It was this thought which became the core creative concept behind the </p><p>"What if ..." branding campaign for NetEase. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>To date, television has been the main media used in the campaign, but </p><p>the creative concept, through both text and visual association has been </p><p>used in press and outdoor advertising. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The campaign was launched last August and in the short time period to </p><p>October, the campaign achieved very high levels of consumer brand </p><p>awareness, according to independent research released in October. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Specifically, NetEase had achieved the highest level of unaided </p><p>advertising awareness with all participants in the research as well as </p><p>the highest level of awareness among existing Internet users in </p><p>China. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>To underline the success of the branding campaign, NetEase is now seen </p><p>as the No.1 portal in China and among the top 50 of the world's most </p><p>visited websites. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Contrast that to its position in May before the campaign: it was the </p><p>third largest portal in China behind Sina and Sohu. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>