The online drama is adapted from Sofia’s Diary in Portugal and the plot line is solely driven by netizens through weekly online polls or mobile voting. The three-minute episodes are aired through major Chinese video and social media portals such as Sina, Cernet, Youku, and also in airports, public buses and subway stations in Beijing and Shanghai.
Targeting teenagers and college students, each episode proposes a problem and viewers have the power to make decisions for Sufei while she adjusts to her new life in Shanghai.
Advertisers such as Clinique, Sony Electronics and online job search site 51job.com were involved in the first season and will continue through the second season, which is launching in the third quarter of the year.
Through their website, visitors can interact with the main characters through online comments and blogs. Over 15.3 million online interactions were recorded. “We want to see this as an opportunity to expand ‘brand entertainment’ for SPTI,” said Mary Chan, VP of production in Asia. “We want to exceed the popularity that usual drama brings in traditional platforms like television.”
Sufie’s Diary is a production of Huaso (a joint venture between SPTI and China Film Group). The same show has also been adapted in countries such as the United States, UK, Germany, Turkey, Brazil, Chile and Vietnam.
