In recent years, the smartphone game in China has intensified as local players continue to flex their tech muscle, especially with their cameras.

In a market that’s obsessively chasing the new, consumers often confuse gimmicky camera features with innovation. As a result, the significance, power, and true potential of ‘Shot on iPhone’ is being overshadowed. With a mission to reclaim camera superiority, we continued Apple’s efforts in building the Shot on iPhone equity in China.

2020 Chinese New Year campaign’s goal was to wow Chinese consumers by pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with cinematic filmmaking on the new iPhone 11 Pro.

Leveraging the newly launched device, iPhone 11 Pro, the first-ever “Pro” iPhone, the campaign leveraged a golden trifecta of “Pros” (Pro camera / Pro filmmakers / Pro actress) to prove the “Pro” cinematic power of the device.

The campaign emphasized iPhone’s camera superiority in China by showcasing its ability in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with cinematic filmmaking. The device was placed in the hands of Hollywood professionals, Theodore Melfi and Lawrence Sher to take on this challenge.

Along with critically acclaimed Chinese actress Zhou Xun, ‘Daughter’ is a story of love and forgiveness among three generations of Chinese females in a rapidly transforming China. An epic yet emotive cinematic film was a feature asset of the campaign, along with an entertaining ‘Making Of’ film to create consumer and media buzz around the power of the new iPhone.

The campaign’s goal is to reclaim iPhone’s camera superiority by showcasing how iPhone 11 Pro pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with cinematic filmmaking.

With ‘Pro to Pro’ as the core idea, Apple champions the ‘Pro Camera’ story through a ‘Pro Film’ that is entirely Shot on iPhone by ‘Pro Filmmakers’, with stellar performance by a ‘Pro Actress’.

This golden trifecta is conveyed through two hero assets. We first engage the consumers by proving iPhone camera’s story-telling ability through a heartfelt, cinematic film titled ‘Daughter’. The message is then reinforced through a ‘Making Of’ film, in which pro filmmakers themselves unravel key camera features and functions that makes cinematic filmmaking possible on the iPhone 11 Pro.

‘Daughter’ kicked-off 9 Jan, teasing the film’s release with OOH across Beijing and Shanghai, followed by a trailer on Apple’s Official WeChat.

On 11 Jan, the cinematic main film and ‘Making Of’ film premiered during an exclusive ‘Today at Apple’ event in Shanghai.

Both the director and the cinematographer headlined the event, as they shared inspirations and taught an audience of media partners and social influencers to create their own ‘Pro’ shots with iPhone 11 Pro.

To optimize views of the film, launch ads ran on paid digital: TVO, Pre-Roll, App Opening, Weibo and WeChat. It was then broadcast across National TV and top satellite stations.

The second wave drove views for the ‘Making Of film, running on Douyin and digital mastheads from 19 Jan. Rounding up the campaign is a customized landing page on Tencent, Youku, iQiyi and Douyin which featured iPhone’s trade-in promotion to drive purchase.

Setting out to wow consumers by pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with the cinematic filmmaking with the new iPhone 11 Pro, Apple successfully delivered the ‘Pro camera’ story.

In a Nielsen survey, 74% of consumers agreed that after watching the films, they were convinced that iPhone’s camera can shoot professional quality videos, a 10% increase compared to last year’s campaign. Another 70% also agreed that they were impressed that the film was shot entirely on iPhone.

Daughter’s two assets (cinematic main film and the Making Of) successfully garnered 227 million views, sparking organic ‘hot topic’ hashtags on Weibo with over 60 Million combined readership views. Netizens praised Apple for delivering another resonating, yet heartwarming story that reflects a true understanding of Chinese culture. The same survey states that 66% of consumers agreed that Apple is a brand that feels close to me, an 8% increase over previous year’s.