Xiao Zhu, a new air purifier brand, launched in China’s most polluted cities, where it needed to stand out in a market that was almost as congested as the air. This is a market where half a million people, mostly children, have died due to air pollution–related–illnesses, which really concerns the parents we were aiming to reach. We saw an opportunity to establish Xiao Zhu’s reputation as the air purifier that’ll best protect their loved ones from this threat.

We put the spotlight on air pollution’s biggest culprits: factories. We turned the world-famous Chinese pollution itself into our medium, by projection-mapping a video of a choking child with our message about the pollution and the brand on the toxic smoke spewing out of the factory smokestacks.

This highly visible, highly relevant projection instantly gained the attention of our target audience. In addition, it was also filmed and released online. This helped garner the attention of parents, community leaders, online influencers and the media. It also gained the attention of the factory owners, who promptly shut us down, but unfortunately for them, the message was already out.

As a result, our video received 17.3 million views in just a week. We also received US$3.15 million in media coverage. More importantly, the attention helped clear the way for Xiao Zhu’s entry, with over 4.8 million visits to its website and a 38% increase in brand awareness.

The team literally put the spotlight on air pollution’s biggest culprits: factories. We turned the world-famous Chinese pollution itself into our medium, by projection-mapping a video of a choking child with our message about the pollution and the brand on the toxic smoke spewing out of the factory smokestacks.

This highly visible, highly relevant projection instantly gained the attention of the locals, particularly those with children, who promptly shared what they saw online. In addition, the projection was also filmed and released online.

The factories forced us to shut down within days. Unfortunately for them, the message was already out. Videos of our projection went viral across China, receiving 17.3 million views in just a week. We also received US$3.15 million in media coverage. More importantly, the attention helped clear the way for Xiao Zhu’s entry, with over 4.8 million visits to its website and a 38% increase in brand awareness.