The art of appeal: CEO on advertising with purpose

​By Wu Jin
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, May 27, 2019
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People today are no strangers to the annoyance of advertisements popping up constantly on their computer and smartphone screens. To many, the ads are corny, disruptive and repetitive — anything but likeable. 

But Kris Fu, CEO of the advertising company Oceanic Drive Pictures Corp. (ODP) and the man behind Huawei's global advertising campaign, wants people to tell a different story.

Kris Fu [Photo courtesy of ODP]  

Marketing with a moving story

On Earth Day this year, April 22, Huawei rolled out its much-anticipated new smartphone series — the P30, complete with a cutting-edge low light video function. 

To highlight the new technology in a moving way, ODP produced a commercial about a runaway dog that eventually reunites with the family of Sam, his master and best friend, on the drizzly night of Earth Day. The advertising team drew attention to the importance of the day, while also demonstrating the new smartphone feature by including several high-resolution clips taken on the P30 in dark and rainy conditions. 

A still from the ODP-produced Huawei P30 commercial "A Miracle in Low Light" [Photo courtesy of ODP]

"[The low light video] changes the habit of smartphone users, since people don't usually take videos in a dark environment," said Fu, a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles, in an email interview with China.org.cn. 

"Therefore, besides telling people what an awesome function the low light video is, we decided to let people see the function being used to capture the most memorable moment: a family reunion," Fu said. 

Following its release, the video received nearly 5 million hits and was flooded with a stream of comments. 

"Awesome! My next smartphone must be from Huawei," posted user Qiu Ahao on Huawei's official account on Weibo, a social media platform similar to Twitter. 

Another follower, username Qing Hun, said the video melted her heart. Other viewers said they watched it many times, yet were touched each time they saw it again. 

According to ODP's latest report, working for a global brand like Huawei, the advertising team needs to take its overseas customers into consideration, while at the same time keeping domestic consumers from being bored with another love story or cliché approach. 

"The unique perspective between pets and mankind has galvanized and refreshed the minds and hearts of Chinese viewers," the ODP report stated.

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