Burberry heralds 'A new awakening' in CNY campaign

Burberry has debuted a 6.5-minute Chinese New Year film, ‘A new awakening’, developed by BBH China. Derek Tsang directed the film, which features brand ambassadors Zhou Dongyu and Song Weilong.

The brand asserts that the film eschews conventional CNY plotlines to instead offer a sensual, dreamlike rumination on renewal, which of course seems especially pertinent this year. 

"It’s important for the brand to reflect and remind our audiences that new awakenings and discoveries can still be had, albeit from within, as long as we embrace the spirit of exploration and adventure," Kelly Pon, chief creative officer at BBH China, said in a release. "And this is a message that only Burberry, a brand steeped in a history of designing and providing clothing for fearless explorers, can tell."

There's also a 60-second cutdown of the film:

As often seems to be the case, Ad Nut finds the shorter version far more compelling. While watching the long version, Ad Nut's brain goes off in many directions trying to interpret things the way one would while watching a real film. Is the young girl Zhou's sister, or herself at a younger age? Why is Song coming angrily to Zhou's door during what seems to be a lockdown? Who are the motorcycle dudes? With the succinct version, there's no time for any of that, so the focus remains on the imagery. And therefore the uplifting spirit the brand is trying to convey comes through more clearly.  

The campaign also includes posters:

Finally, if you're into such things, the brand has also launched a Year of the Ox capsule collection, which is available in mainland China, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

Ad Nut's not interested, because Ad Nut was born with a finer coat than anything Burberry could ever come up with.

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.