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Nothing but sheer joy! This is what BMW China and TBWA\BOLT are promising customers in their newest Lunar New Year campaign. We are so used to talking about the trying times we’re living through, the unpredictability, the inability to connect with people as we used to, so ad world is really pushing in the opposite direction. This year’s Lunar New Year campaigns have all had a tinge of happiness, reconnection and overall giving audiences a sense of ‘everything will be okay’. And BMW have not shied away. In fact, the car brand took it upon themselves to create a spot that will ring in our years for some time to come. It has nothing to do with heavy-hearted emotional family reunions, but touched on vibrancy, playfulness, bravery and power – all traits associated with the tiger. However, the campaign also plays into ‘Bao Ma’ the Chinese name for BMW, which means ‘Precious Horse’. The spot certainly succeeds in striking audiences with an element of surprise and a new perspective on the holiday, by “bringing together the dynamic and complementary characteristics of two animals”, explains Stephane Koeppel, vice president brand and marketing at BMW China. By utilising various audio and visual elements and amplifying ‘Hu’ for Tiger in Chinese and ‘Ma’, the Precious Horse in Chinese, the ad gives audiences something to loop in their heads. With bold colours, mixed media and dream-like sequences, this TBWA spot is definitely not something we’d want to miss. BMW’s Stephane Koeppel and Ronnie Wu, chief creative officer at TBWA China took LBB’s Zoe Antonov behind the scenes of this masterpiece to tell her more about how they achieved its high-energy mind-blowing visuals.