I picked up this from LRB’s forum. These ads for Mengniu (a major China dairy giant) launched in early 2009; the product is fruit yogurt drinks that combine fruits, vegetables, milk and nutrition targeted to Chinese teenagers.
This is a great example of empathizing how Chinese kids really feel, and their uncontrollable desire for simple indulgence. This is one of the few ads that doesn’t talk about doing well in school, respecting parents, and supporting a harmonious society.
Instead what we see is a celebration of the superficial; Mengniu encourages Chinese kids to do what they feel; which means goof off in class, illegally download mp3’s and movies, and generally indulge in superficial attention-deficit behavior.Whats great is these ads cut through the clutter and strike a chord; they say: “It’s OK to be a kid”.
"French Chinese noodles, fruit burger, doodle when writing, rap when talking... new taste makes creativity, just enjoy to overplay!"
"Fans for SHE, fans for Beyonce, fans for cross talk. No fickle, no fun!"
"Listening to Avril, playing PSP, stop to chat on MSN, while downloading TV series. Want life to be colorful? You need to cheat!"
–
Advertising Agency: LeoBurnett/w&k Beijing China
Creative Directors: Charlie Chen, Chris yan
Art Directors: Chris yan, Lillian Mao
Copywriter: Sky Han
Illustrator: Lillian Mao
Published: January 2009
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Thomas Morffew
Rand
Charles Frith
Veronica
Jade
Duncan Leung
Andrew
Chris Golden
Mao Ruiqi
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Rand, where can we see these interesting print ads?
I never come across with them in the magazine/newspaper I read.
@ jason: good question – I’ve only seen the better ads on the internet. Let me see if I can figure out where these ads are displayed in the real world.
@jason
Me neither…actually.(so why I even reply…)
Anyway, either we don’t read that many magazines, or, a more reasonable explanation is that, if you noticed, the print ads we see on the Internet are very abstract, or very creative. I think for the major public, we often just need some simple ads, like a celebrity holding a drink in his hand. The situation around me is simplely like this, anyway.