Mother Shanghai releases print campaign welcoming the Lunar New Year for Beats by Dre

Mother Shanghai is launching its first campaign for Beats by Dre. It showcases the versatility of Beats Flex to GenZers returning home for the New Year holidays.

Lunar New Year is our planet’s biggest annual mass migration of people, a time when hundreds of millions of people return to celebrate the passing of time and share wishes for good fortune. An intricate blend of the traditional rituals and modern culture, it is a time to showcase all that has been happening in the year, also a time when perceived status still matters.

Yet when the year of the Rat turned into a year most would rather forget, the measurement of status shifted in many people’s eyes, especially GenZ. Our research showed us there is a rapidly growing undercurrent valuing experiences and stories collected as far more important than monetary worth.

This campaign combines the traditions and this insight to deliver an illustration-led approach, across media up to New Year (12th February). It takes inspiration from Nian Hua, a traditional form of Chinese illustration, one that has added significance at Lunar New Year, telling stories within images. Mother Shanghai worked with Seoul-based illustrator and animator Inji Seo to feature positive stories of different kinds of riches to their audience:

Story 1: A pro gamer flexes his achievements in the gaming world. It might sound like a waste of time, but he’s turned gaming into a successful career.

Story 2: Two love birds flex their affection for each other in a time when relationships and commitment are the biggest concern amongst traditional parents.

Story 3: A girl flexes her muscles and confidence, proudly showing off her strength in a place where traditional beauty comes in a petite size 2.

Story 4: A content creator flexes his ideas and influence. Instead of aiming for followers and profit, he’s merely sharing his original (and sometimes weird) thoughts with the world.

Working with Inji Seo, Mother Shanghai brings a positive, contemporary attitude to the Nian Hua technique with elements of colour-saturation and more stylised illustration, whilst still being sympathetic to its roots.

Kim Liu, Creative at Mother said: “Working with Inji, we took inspiration from traditional Nian Hua, and updated with a modern twist to present a collection of art that has GenZ swag, attitude and surrealistic cultural elements through colour-saturated and contemporary-styled illustrations.”

Credits
Client: Beats China
Campaign: Beats Flex
Agency: Mother Shanghai
Creative: Mother Shanghai
Strategy: Mother Shanghai
Typographer: HeFan
Illustrator: Inji Seo
Production Company: Hamlet China
Producer: Duffy Du
Executive Producer: Yimeng Zhang
Production Coordinator (Seoul): Simon Yi
Retoucher: Allen Chew