The campaign, developed by Grey Worldwide New Zealand in conjunction with MediaCom China, consists of television, print and billboard advertising for the brand and individual products. Grey New Zealand was tasked with developing the creative strategy because Grand River wanted something "out of the box", according to the agency's managing director, Peter Darroch.
"Itech, Grand River's main local agency, invited us to join forces with them because they wanted input for a campaign that would grab people's attention and cut through the clutter."
The result is an advertising programme, featuring Hong Kong model Maggie Q, that focuses on the precision engineering the motorcycle group is capable of along with its Japanese JV partner Suzuki.
There are about 35 main motorcycle brands in China, including Honda, Yamaha and BMW. MediaCom regional research director Adrian King said the media strategy aimed to selectively blanket the country's key markets.
"CCTV will be part of the strategy along with more local broadcasters, where CCTV's viewership is poor."