AFTERNOON TEA CREATIVE TRENDS BRIEFINGVOL. 1 Aug. 2012

MADI JU artwork

Ren hangartwork

Afternoon Tea, or 下午茶 in Chinese, is a tradition observed around the world that provides friends a chance to relax and exchange ideas over refreshments. In the same spirit, NeochaEDGE presents the "Afternoon Tea Creative Trends Briefing."

With this briefing, we aim to share trends, innovative advertising, and emerging creative culture from around the world to inspire our clients and readers for future projects and campaigns. Get yourself a refreshment, sit back, and enjoy.

One Billion Asian Web UsersAccording to the Asia Digital Marketing Association, Asia's web population exceeded one billion users in July, making up 46 percent of the world's internet users. Half of Asia's web users are situated in China.

INSPIRATIONSpending on digital advertising and marketing in the Asia-Pacific region reached $24 billion USD in 2011, second only to the United States at $34.5 billion USD. Companies and brands should focus on promoting their brands in the Asia-Pacific markets through an in-depth understanding of domestic users and their online culture.MORE: www.techinasia.com/asia-one-billion-internet-users/

TRENDS

Exercise Goes Social

MORE:

GE makes exercise social and competitive with the release of a new app called HealthyShare, that allows your Facebook friends to track (and shame) you as you work

towards your diet and exercise goals. Similarly, Nike Japan provided users with a fun way to interact with the brand in its "Run Like Me" marketing campaign for its

LUNARGLIDE+ 4 running shoe. For every "like" received on the campaign's Facebook page, British expat Joseph Tame will run 100 meters, until the end of the campaign on July 29th.

Brands can offer tremendous value to consumers by making real-world activities social, competitive, and interactive. As part of GE's HealthyShare app, users can receive workout challenges from four Olympians in

the "Work Out With An Olympian" program, broadcasted on Facebook. Nike Japan's "Run Like Me" campaign also saw great success, with 24,183 likes on its Facebook page as of July 26th, translating into

370.44km of running for Joseph.https://www.facebook.com/nikerunjp/

http://www.psfk.com/2012/07/ge-facebook-social-exercise.html

INSPIRATION

TRENDS

KONUNGAR Comic Book from Xi’an-based Cartoonist MATRIX GTR

MORE: http://edge.neocha.com/chinese-creatives/works-from-xian-based-comist-matrix-gtr/

Matrix GTR is a cartoonist and graduate of the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts. Recently, he began publishing the Konungar graphic novel series in France, using the Western graphic novel style to tell the story of Erlang Shen, the Chinese God of War from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. KONUNGAR serves as a great example of remixing elements from different cultures, in order to tell a story in a fresh and innovative way.

CREATIVE CULTURE

Shanghai-based designer NINO presents the CRANE collection, bringing together traditional and modern elements in a blend of simplicity and elegance. From the street to the teahouse to the

café, CRANE expresses pride in China’s rich national history in a modern and stylish manner.MORE: http://edge.neocha.com/chinese-creatives/crane-collection-from-shanghai-based-designer-nino/

CREATIVE CULTURE

CRANE Collection from NINO

“No.223” Photography Series

MORE: http://edge.neocha.com/photography/no-223-new-photography-collection-from-beijing-based-edge-creative-collective-photographer-no-223/

“No.223” is the first photo collection of Beijing-based photographer and EDGE Creative Collective member No.223, edited and designed by Aaron Nieh and published by Revolution-Star Publishing and Creation Co.Ltd. in Taiwan.This set of books includes one main volume, a black and white booklet, text booklet, and posters. Released in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Mainland, “No.223” is available for purchase online.

CREATIVE CULTURE

Love Letters Typography Exhibition"Love Letters" is a typography installation launched in Shanghai by advertising agency BBH China,

in collaboration with UK typography company Fontsmith. Using Fontsmith's typefaces, and materials including stone, metal, and acrylic, the installation exhibited the online dating messages of men who were

corresponding with a Western woman living in Shanghai.

"Love Letters" effectively communicated men's personalities using nothing more than text, color, and font. Simplicity is often the key to effective communication, not only between people, but between brands and consumers as well. Brands

should be especially conscious about the way in which they communicate their personalities to an audience.

INSPIRATION

MORE: http://www.fontsmith.com/loveletters/

CASE STUDY

Keyboard of Isolation Installation

INSPIRATION

MORE: http://advertising.chinasmack.com/2012/chinas-award-winning-keyboard-of-isolation.html.

The Keyboard of Isolation is a groundbreaking campaign developed by advertising group DDB China for the non-profit organization Family Care For Grassroots Community. In order to address the effects of internet addiction on families and communities, the campaign first interviewed affected families to understand their individual stories. Model figurines were then crafted using photographs of the families, placed in glass jars, and arranged on a 5-meter-long keyboard on display at public venues including plazas and metro stations. Each of the models told the story of the individual portrayed.

Influential brands are, by nature, powerful storytellers. In order to tell stories that are relevant to the community, campaigns must first understand the individuals that comprise that community on a deeply human level. The Keyboard of Isolation, by addressing a deep-rooted issue through powerful imagery and creative storytelling, reached an estimated audience of 1,800,000, with 89% saying that they would like to spend less time online, and more time with their families.

CASE STUDY

NeochaEDGE x NIKE Customized 2012 Year of the Dragon USB Thumbdrives

A few months ago, NeochaEDGE /// collaborated with Nike to produce this custom set of 2012 Year of the Dragon USB thumb drives for Nike's internal division. Cute and functional, these customized thumb drives

come in four exclusive color ways, and were a great way to usher in the new year.MORE: http://edge.neocha.com/neochaedge-client-work/neochaedge-x-nike-limited-edition-customized-2012-year-of-the-dragon-usb-thumbdrives/

OUR WORK

NeochaEDGE x Caster Evolution: Shanghai by DANCE

MORE: http://vimeo.com/45558883

NeochaEDGE recently collaborated with the Shanghai-based Caster Evolution b-boy / breakdance crew to produce a short video of dancing through the streets of Shanghai. Street dance is just one example of a grassroots youth subculture that has grown tremendously in cities across the globe, offering brands an opportunity to develop relationships with the leaders and trendsetters within these specific communities through branded media and sponsored events.

OUR WORK

NeochaEDGE for VOLVO 2012 Art Sessions NeochaEDGE participated in this year's Volvo Art Session, giving the world a taste of Chinese creative culture with a four-day live art performance. Along with seven of China's top artists, our mission was to reimagine the

new Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid, along with a 30+ square meter background canvas behind it, on a massive stage at Zurich's Hauptbahnhof train station, where countless numbers of commuters witnessed the performance.

Each artist was given nine hours to complete their treatment of the car, with the next artist painting directly over the previous treatment, creating a continuous flow of creativity.

MORE: http://edge.neocha.com/neochaedge-client-work/neochaedge-for-2012-volvo-art-sessions-7-edge-creative-collective-artists-take-over-zurichss-hauptbahnhof-for-a-massive-4-day-live-art-performance/

OUR WORK

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CONTACT US EDGE@Neocha.com

artwork WANG MENG