Why is this work relevant for Direct?

Huawei sent famed director Nawapol T. on a trip to Japan, Thailand's favourite destination, to record special moments on his phone and mail them back in USB drives as souvenirs for his mates. Although the six mail recipients were the only people who got to watch their personalized footage from Japan, media outlets soon also got mail from Nawapol with a director's cut for public viewing. Additionally, a microsite was launched which let anyone send bonus clips from the shoot in Japan as mini magic moments to their own mates.

Background

Huawei Mate 20 was the brand's most advanced phone at the time, but as the name "Mate" implies, the model was made to be more than a power tool but a true companion in all your treasured moments. To declare that there was more to this AI-enhanced phone than its specs, the brand needed a campaign that brings a human heart to the cerebral machine.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

Smartphones have made the world as small as the palms of your hands. Much of distance and time is no longer felt nor longed for anymore. But sometimes, it's not just about how fast or how many of life's moments you can keep in your phone, but how much time and care was captured in each of them. Huawei sent famed director Nawapol T. on a trip to Japan, Thailand's favourite destination, to record special moments on his phone and mail them back in USB drives as souvenirs for his mates. The footage shot on the most cutting-edge phone at the time was physically mailed overseas and over time – From Mate to Mate.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Although Huawei was building its reputation in Thailand as a producer of quality phones, the brand's image still lacked emotional relevance to the recreational lifestyle of 20-35 premium phone users. So even though Huawei Mate 20 Series was the brand's most advanced phone at the time, the model was meant to be more than a power tool but a true companion in all your treasured moments. To declare that there was more to the phone than its specs, the brand needed content that felt more human than machine.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

Huawei collaborated with Nawapol T., one of Thailand's most famous film directors, on a new short film project, which was his first to be set in Japan. However, on the release date of his highly anticipated short film, there was none available anywhere. Instead, the famed director posted pictures of six mail envelopes on his social media, each captioned with a cryptic note to an anonymous address. Media outlets soon revealed to the speculating public that Nawapol had actually mailed Huawei-shot footages from Japan in USB drives as personal "souvenirs" to six of his closest mates... And that he also mailed a director's cut to each media outlet for public viewing. Additional content included a behind-the-scenes video on Facebook and YouTube that revealed stories behind each magic moment and an online platform that let consumers send short clips as mini magic moments to their own mates.

List the results (30% of vote)

The director's cut of the film received over 8 million views combined. Over 10K clips were shared online from the Mate to Mate platform. Some consumers were even inspired to recreate scenes from the film to share with their own mates. The biggest achievement of this campaign, however, is that Huawei is finally seen by Thai consumers as being more than a phone factory, but a brand that is emotionally relevant to their lives.