JWT Beijing launches Windows 8 Campaign across Asia

Microsoft has launched a major Asian campaign for Windows 8, created by JWT Beijing, which positions the flagship operating system as a tool of self-expression by leveraging music and visuals that connect with the culture of the region’s markets.

The Asian ads are part of a global campaign that was a combined effort of JWT Beijing and JWT Brazil, along with Crispin, Porter and Bogusky in the U.S., and Wunderman.  JWT  credited with developing the lead creative concept for the worldwide effort.

“I am very proud of our team in the development of this campaign”, said Ruston Spurlock, Managing Partner for JWT Beijing. “The fact that our team established the iconic creative concept for this campaign underscores the quality of creative thinking coming from this region.”

Music is at the heart of the campaign, which highlights a variety of indie and up-and-coming bands across the Asia, such as Scandal from Japan, Sona Mohapatra from India, and Lenka from Australia. The upbeat music encourages self-expression and experience, and serves as a metaphor for the new Windows8 operating system. “Windows is an open and inclusive brand—empowering people–and we wanted the music, language and cultural references to represent that spirit” said Alexandre Leite, Global Marketing Director, Windows.

JWT Beijing leveraged key cultural insights to drive the campaign’s Asian execution.“In Asia, we always want to express ourselves in a different way. We long for liberty but we are quite different from the Western way of expression. Therefore, we will find a symbol to define liberty,” said Polly Chu, Chief Creative Officer at JWT Beijing. “In one of our executions we feature Parkour –urban running –as one of these symbols to represent freedom as well as individualism.”

She goes onto say: “In Asia & South East Asia, we are growing our economy at high speed, yet we value our personal lives just as much and want to maintain our lifestyle, so balancing work and play was important. We know we can be productive with PCs, we wanted to focus on how they can be fulfilling too.”

The campaign will include television commercials along with print ads, out of home billboards, viral videos, an online app, as well as online advertising.

In July, 2012, JWT Beijing was named one of the worldwide creative agency of record (AOR) for the Microsoft Windows Business across Asia Pacific. Prior to this, JWT Beijing handled the creative duties for Windows in China.

“The launch of Windows 8 is a global phenomenon. I am thrilled that our team in Beijing created a big idea that is universal but able to be localized in a manner that suits different cultural clusters,” said Tom Doctoroff,  JWT North Asia Area Director and Greater China CEO.

  Advertising, APAC, China, Creative, JWT APAC, JWT China, Windows