Context 

China’s top brands are working hard to get in front of global audiences.

 

As of 2017, Chinese advertisers ranked #7 in total spend on Google Ad Solutions.

 

By 2020, Chinese advertisers will rank #2 – just behind the U.S.

 

Many of these brands will command huge attention as they tackle Western markets through their competitive prices and disruptive innovations.

 

The challenge for them will be long-term brand building and creating both relevance and affinity for their brand’s message among Western audiences. 

 

This requires an investment shift for the marketing C-suite, the target audience of this film, shifting from tactical communications to emotional storytelling with YouTube.

 

“Bento” became the first step in a user journey with YouTube Academy: A China-first program tailored to each participating brand and the story they want to tell the world.

 

As of writing, 15 YouTube Academies and 20 workshops have already been planned for 2018.

 

About the Film

This story is about a Chinese boy arriving on foreign soil. He’s new kid, and he’s also so different that he feels no one wants to get to know him. This is most evident everyday at lunch, where his Asian rice box is a stark contrast from the lunchboxes other kids full of sandwiches and fruits. How he wishes his lunch looked like theirs.

As the days go by he gets more and more withdrawn – even leaving his lunches uneaten. Mum notices and knows there must be a way, without compromising who he is.

The next day, he opens his lunchbox to a surprise – a beautiful bento depicting a cute Panda, the symbol of his hometown Chengdu. The other kids notice and flock around him. It’s the first step to his integration and making friends.

So don’t change who you are, tell your story the right way.