The television-led campaign, crafted by Bates Advertising, showcases the different faces of the city, whose pre-Communist image as a decadent party town with shady overtones still lingers in the public's perception.
Bates' creative juxtaposes a range of images, from shots reminiscent of a gentler Shanghai to visuals that capture the city's frenetic pace as the premier financial hub on the Chinese mainland.
At the same time, the voice-overs drive home the essence of Shanghai's character as a destination that encapsulates the best of the world's leading cities. The supers roughly translate as: "Romance is not only in Paris, vivacity is not only in Tokyo, imagination is not only in New York and mystique is not only in Venice."
Said Barry Leung, Bates' Greater China regional director: "Our overriding message is that Shanghai is a convergence of the best of the world's top-class cities of Tokyo, Milan and New York."
Bates provided the creative concept and also recruited sponsor companies to underwrite the production costs. Bates' client Shanghai General Motors sponsored the launch spot. The agency has also lined up two other international organisations for subsequent campaigns, the second of which will break at the end of this month.
Forthcoming campaigns will feature different themes from the convergence concept of the launch initiative
Leung declined to identify the next sponsor.
Media airtime has been provided by the campaign's initiator, Shanghai Media Group, a multimedia conglomerate with radio, television, newspaper and website properties.
Leung said the campaign was the first non-tourism promotion of its kind by a Chinese city. Last year, the city ran a campaign to boost local confidence in Shanghai during the Sars epidemic.
Apart from domestic use, municipal authorites plan to screen the spots during official visits abroad.