Background:
The 184-day Shanghai Expo is an unprecedented platform for the world to get to know China and for Chinese people to get their strong confidence and ethnic pride out of their chest. With major competitor Suntory ruling half of the Eastern China beer market, and Budweiser roaring high as the only Expo sponsor in this category, how can Tsingtao capitalize on the event and break through the cluster to reach estimated 70 million tourists with 10% of which are foreigners?
Brief:
Attract the attention of international visitors to the Shanghai Expo to broaden Tsingtao’s base of overseas consumers and strengthen its image as a modern, global brand
Solution:
Instead of bragging about its century long history, or hardselling the taste of the beer, Tsingtao wants to show what it does best –deep understanding of beer. A series of print executions under the tagline ‘Drink Tsingtao, understand China’ were developed to appeal to the international audience coming to visit the Expo. By using both English as main copy language, and illustrating Chinese drinking culture in humorous cartoon, Tsingtao plays a cultural ambassador and hospitable host role to share interesting Chinese drinking culture with foreign tourists. Meanwhile the Chinese notes on every print were catering to local Chinese consumers, and capture the attention of urban youths with ‘quirky illustrations’ that gives a more relax and friendly image to Tsingtao.
From May to mid-June 2010, the campaign ran in Shanghai and China’s eastern urban centers. The print ads were displayed in channels selected for maximum access to international visitors including English expat magazines, Western restaurants and subway stations.
Result: undisclosed, but the campaign is considered successful as it:
- Capture the attention and thirst of the international audience by tapping into the Expo’s theme of cultural exchange. Ambush Budweiser.
- Demonstrating its focus on the overseas demographic, these ads feature English copy rather than Chinese, a rarity among ads launched domestically.
- Show a more relaxed and youthful side of Tsingtao that customers may not have expected from the brand
