In China, due to the restrictions to media and art creation by government, the form of branded entertainment is always monotonous and dull, lacks of innovation. Advertising replacement is almost the only way to branded entertainment. There will be normally a dozen of brands as replacement in a popular movie. No matter audience or the people in film industry, they are all disgusted with it.

We gave ourselves a lofty brief: produce a full length feature film that would inspire a generation to Keep Walking.

The result was Yulu: Words Of The Journey. A film which brought together twelve unique individuals who were redefining the meaning of progress in a new China. Each was asked the question: "What would you say to inspire a generation?"We released their answers in segments online. These short installments served as trailers for the full length feature and generated more online discussion and debate than we ever could have imagined. By the time Words On The Journey reached cinemas it was already the hottest documentary film of 2011.The film was an official selection at the 2011 Hong Kong International Film Festival- the only film to screen to a sold-out crowd. This high profile success led to more festival screenings, more media coverage and more consumer interest all along the way.

In China, what you buy says so much about who you are. They get status from being seen with something new and something expensive. In the world of luxury spirits, Johnnie Walker is neither new nor expensive. So how do you provide status if you don’t have either? And with less money to invest in media than your competition?

With these challenges in mind, the objectives were:1.Personal: Build a deeper connection to overcome marketing cynicism.2.Cultural: Have a cultural impact so we maximise the impact of our limited media investment.3.On-trade: ensure the cultural impact reinforces consumer desire and usage in the face of better supported competitors.

Whilst our competitors sell glossy lifestyle advertising, our idea was to develop an ‘anti-lifestyle’ branded content campaign: authentic, raw and real, turning our audience into our media distribution model.

We proposed Johnnie Walker depart completely from the traditional advertising approach. To give the brand more depth and spark a larger conversation on behalf of the brand, we changed the game entirely.We didn’t make an ad. We made a feature film.Working with the nation’s leading documentary filmmaker, Jia Jiangke, we develop branded content unlike any other in China: a deeply emotional, brutally honest feature film about 12 progressives.

Our documentary featured a diverse range of subjects, but each asked the same question: "What would you say to inspire a generation?".