Hasta La Motion!

Mars China is promoting Dove (De Fu) chocolate in a commercial connecting Chinese New Year with intergenerational relationships. The 5-minute film tells the story of a young woman (Guan Xiao Tong) and her mother, their annual Chinese New Year ritual, and their changing relationship as they grow older. Their family greeting, “Nian nian de fu”, could be heard as “Good Fortune every year” or “Dove every year”. The commercial culminates in a touching reunion in which Dove chocolate and calligraphy is used to express their love.

The campaign was inspired by insights which revealed a growing emotional disconnect within families as Chinese people struggle to show affection and emotion, especially to their parents. The campaign sees a shift in strategy for Dove, which usually targets young independent women with its advertising. This campaign aims to drive growth in volume and penetration for the brand by appealing to a broader audience.

Arthur Tsang, CCO, BBDO Beijing, said, “This year, we wanted to tell the story of everyone; the importance of family love and how it lingers no matter how distant we become as life carries us away from our parents. Being headstrong, feisty and independent is one thing, but what is it as young people that we are really rebelling against? Our goal was simply to touch upon this nerve and remind our audience, there’s always someone that loves you back home.”

Thomas Delabriere, vice president, marketing, Mars China said, “This Chinese New Year, Dove wants to be the most talked about campaign for a spot that really touches people’s hearts.”

BBDO Beijing ECD Howard Mok said, “We have created the “Dove Girl” for more than 2 decades; she has always been an independent, witty and charming girl. However, this year, she misses home. We changed the Dove girl’s image to make it a reflection of everyone; she connected the family and the ritual of Chinese New Year. Through the Dove chocolate box, which contained all of the “Fu” calligraphy over the years, it not only deeply connected the brand and ‘Nian nian De Fu’, but also created a unique symbol of blessing Chinese New Year with chocolate.”

Credits

The Dove New Year campaign was developed at BBDO Beijing by chief creative officer Arthur Tsang, executive creative director/art director Howard Mok, group creative director/art director Gin Tee, copywriters Arthur Tsang, Bi Rui Zhang, Ray Xu, art directors Kevin Ni, Roy Yang, managing director Yeat Mung Koo, executive producer Max Lee, account director Joshua Teong, senior planner Jasmine Lai, account management team Jamie Wang, Sophie Hou, working with Mars China marketing VP Thomas Delabriere, marketing directors Jelina Wan and Bobo Chen, and marketing manager Lu Fu.

Filming was shot by director David Tsui via Moviola Productions with producer Christine Ip.