Title | MEET ME HALFWAY |
Brand | SK-II |
Product / Service | SK-II |
Category | E04. Social Behaviour & Cultural Insight |
Entrant | FORSMAN & BODENFORS Singapore, SINGAPORE |
Idea Creation | SK-II Singapore, SINGAPORE |
Idea Creation 2 | FORSMAN & BODENFORS Singapore, SINGAPORE |
Media Placement | MANO, DENMARK |
Media Placement 2 | RYOT STUDIO Copenhagen, DENMARK |
PR | FORSMAN & BODENFORS Singapore, SINGAPORE |
PR 2 | MANO, DENMARK |
Production | TOOL OF NORTH AMERICA Los Angeles, USA |
Production 2 | CABIN EDITING COMPANY Santa Monica, USA |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Sandeep Seth | SK-II | Vice President |
Kylene Campos | SK-II | Global Marketing Director |
Susanna Fagring | Forsman & Bodenfors | Account Supervisor |
My Troedsson | Forsman & Bodenfors | Account Supervisor |
Abbe Hale | Forsman & Bodenfors | Account Supervisor |
Hongi Luo | Forsman & Bodenfors | Account Manager |
Patrik Danroth | Forsman & Bodenfors | Account Manager |
John Bergdahl | Forsman & Bodenfors | Art Director |
Joakim Labraaten | Forsman & Bodenfors | Copywriter |
Amat Levin | Forsman & Bodenfors | PR-strategist |
Jason Feng | Forsman & Bodenfors | Designer |
Leo Bovaller | Forsman & Bodenfors | Planner |
Alexander Blidner | Forsman & Bodenfors | Agency Producer |
Floyd Russ | Tool of North America | Director |
Andy Coverdale | Tool of North America | Producer |
Brad Johns | Tool of North America | Executive Producer |
Nancy Hacohen | Tool of North America | Executive Producer |
Christophe Collette | Tool of North America | D.O.P. |
Victor Magro | Future perfect | Music |
Isaac Chen | Tool of North America/Cabin editing company | Editor |
Lime Studios Lime Studios | Lime Studios | Sound |
Thor Otar | Mano Copenhagen | Strategy Director |
Jakob Stigler | Mano Copenhagen | Client lead |
Liv Sørensen | Mano Copenhagen | Orchestration lead |
Jesper Laumand | Verizon Media (Ryot Studio) | Account Director |
Yangze Wang | Verizon Media (Ryot Studio) | Distribution strategy director |
Mads Linnebjerg | Verizon Media (Ryot Studio) | Planner |
Sandra Rasmussen | Verizon Media (Ryot Studio) | Editorial distribution |
Nicklas Fjelsted Holm | Verizon Media (Ryot Studio) | Social distribution |
Anna Taussi | Verizon Media (Ryot Studio) | PR Distribution |
Troels Ringsted | Verizon Media (Ryot Studio) | Researcher |
Annie Aa | Verizon Media (Ryot Studio) | Account Manager |
The film stars three young single Chinese women, all following their dreams in some of China’s biggest cities. While their parents only want what’s best for their daughters, their constant questions about boyfriends, husbands and even children are unknowingly putting their daughters under pressure to get married. When we meet the women the pressure has gotten so intense that they avoid going home for family gatherings, even opting to not celebrate Chinese New Year, the country’s biggest holidays, with their families. As the film progresses the women each decide to pen a letter to their parents. With hopes to mend the relationship they ask their parents to meet them halfway, both literally and figuratively. They leave the emotional meeting with a new sense of understanding for each other.
Even though young Chinese women are advancing like never before, educating themselves and becoming financially independent, they’re still expected to marry, settle down and become housewives before they reach 30. The fact that women’s worth is often tied to their marital status causes young single women to face enormous amounts of pressure, from society as a whole, and their families. This campaign was designed to spark a conversation about marriage pressure, and provide women with a clear way forward, by showcasing three encouraging examples of women who are taking the first steps of reaching out to their parents. This is no small feat in a country where freedom of speech is limited and the government itself has vested interest in keeping the status quo (In 2017, the Chinese government launched the term “Sheng Nu” that translates to “leftover woman” and has been used by state media to stigmatize unmarried women).
Through research, we learned that the marriage pressure reaches its peak at Chinese New Year (CNY). When family and relatives gather, the nagging about finding a husband and starting a family culminates, and for many, becomes unbearable. The pressure is so strong that 8 out of 10 single women hesitate to travel home for CNY. A major issue driving this behavior is the lack of communication between the generations. We also learned that society and media focus on how to avoid the topic and annoying questions from relatives. We wanted to tackle the subject in a different way. A way that was unexpected and bold enough to create a new wave of interest. What if we instead of just talking about the problem could offer a solution and create real change? We decided to inspire women and parents to talk honestly with each other, and to find common ground.