'Stay True to Your Values'

 

Chinese financial and economics media China Business News (CBN) today launched a new online video and TV spot by Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, Shanghai that reinforces CBN’s responsible and
ethical commitment to its readers, and effectively society at large.

 

Shot in black-and-white, the 75-second video weaves in and out of different scenes and dramatically depicts the most pressing challenges facing modern Chinese society. The spot begins with a woman returning her wedding band to a man in tears, with subtitles reading, “When love becomes a transaction.” Five additional scenes illustrate other harsh, yet typical, realities in urban China, including an elderly man who cannot afford shelter in his own hometown due to rising housing costs (subtitles: “When property creates speculation”), a coach who rigorously trains a young girl in athletics in spite of the pain (subtitles: “When sport is for fame and fortune”) and a bicyclist who wears a face mask to filter out heavy pollution (subtitles: “When growth covers the sky”).

 

Each story ultimately leads to CBN’s bold key message: that the current state of Chinese society and rapid economic development has come at the great cost of stripping away its values of love, respect, health, empathy, morality and value for humanity. In this spot, CBN reminds viewers that despite this climate it remains committed to its mission to seek the truth and offer readers fair, balanced and comprehensive reporting.

 

 

A China Business News spokesperson said, “We want to deliver a powerful message with a strong visual effect that will have a meaningful impact on our readers. We’re very impressed that O&M created an equally powerful film that clearly communicates our ideals to our audience. As a recorder of the news of this era, we’re keen to work with the business, finance, and manufacturing sectors to tell the most accurate stories as our responsibility to the readers of our era.”

 

“It’s always rewarding and inspiring to work with clients like CBN that have so much conviction in what they believe in,” said Francis Wee, Executive Creative Director of Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, Shanghai. “We chose to shoot the film in black-and-white at a measured pace to give it the sense of gravity it deserves. This video isn’t just about a newspaper or a magazine; at the heart of it is the essence of media ethics and a basic respect for humanity. We hope it leaves a lasting impression.”

 

The video will be shown for two years on the CBN Channel and Ningxia TV across mainland China, as well as on CBN’s website and other video sites.


Project Title: CBN - Stay True to Your Values
Client: China Business News
Creative Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, Shanghai
Account Management: Yong Yuan, Vivian Tu
Chief Creative Officer: Graham Fink
Executive Creative Director: Francis Wee
Creative Director: Simond Chew
Copywriters: Thomas Zhu, Rocky Hao, Elaine Jin
Art director: Zhang Chao
Agency Producer: Anthony Lee
Production House: The Shanghai Jobs
Film Director: Chen Yong Xiu
Production House Producer: Colin Lai
Exposure: TV, online