London has been getting really cold recently. As someone who spent 13 years living in Southeast Asia, where summer is the only season, I caught a severe cold…while having to write my final papers of the semester…
Half of the medicines I brought to London are ‘999感冒灵’ (999 Cold Remedy), a national medicine brand in China that we always go to whenever we feel ill – It feels like a safety net.
In March 2022, ‘999 Cold Remedy’ launched a campaign, ‘Planting the Seeds of Spring.’
The Narratives: 种春天 ‘Planting the Seeds of Spring.’
The video tells four real-personal stories based on life struggles:
The Customer Service Lady faces harassment from a male customer but has to continue to endure it silently due to work pressures.
The Printing Shop Owner is stuck in a monotonous routine; the mundane work drained out his passion for life. Therefore, he starts to ignore customers and displays unfriendly attitudes.
The Socially Anxious Girl is misunderstood as a rude person for hesitating to hold an elevator door as she is afraid of engaging in any form of social interaction.
The Grieving Father is struggling to cope with the loss of his son, he surrounds himself with his son’s belongings, completely drowning in the overwhelming sorrow.
Each character is stuck in a metaphorical winter—cold, isolated, and overwhelmed with challenges.
> The transitions: Through small acts of kindness and human connection, they encounter changes. The customer service lady helps a blind woman order a ‘999 Cold Remedy’ with professionalism and care, receiving a 5-star rating with sincere gratitude. The printing shop owner offers a student with financial difficulties free service, receiving a thank you note that sparks joy and hope in his work. The socially anxious girl made a brave step to help a neighbour who locked herself in the bathroom, forming a new friendship. Lastly, the grieving father finds comfort by hanging out with his son’s friend, sharing memories of his son.
These tiny moments of care and empathy bring about a transformation from ‘winter’ to ‘spring. This then brings out the brand message: Simple acts of warmth can plant seeds of hope and recovery in the coldest lives.
Why This Video Works
The video uses a typical storytelling technique by showing struggles first, then ends with uplifting and emotional narratives that deeply resonate with the audience. The whole video does not show a strong focus on selling products or introducing the product; it highlights the concept of warmth and renewal, which is a perfect metaphor for the function of ‘999 Cold Remedy’.
From a branded content perspective, this video fits into Jonathan Hardy’s concept of “integration without separation.” The video does not simply represent ‘999 Cold Remedy’ as a product, it seamlessly integrates the brand values of care, trust and renewal into a compelling story. In this case, the audience is invited to connect with the stories and emotions sent in the video and thus, connect with the brand.
A National Household Medicine in China: Healing Beyond Health
Being a national brand, 999 has built generations of trust in Chinese households. To most people, it’s not just a medicine but a cultural touchstone that delivers care and love equally as health. The brand has been able to build an image that connects with emotional warmth in the product.
(*Explainer note here so I don’t confuse you to think that this is a magical cure to all illnesses: the medical ingredients are all very common Chinese medicines and paracetamol that you can get anywhere over the counter)
For me personally, ‘999 Cold Remedy’ is a remedy I go for whenever I feel sick; as a kid back home, living in Singapore through my teenage years and now studying halfway across the world in London. It has a pleasant taste, and I’m always sure that the next day after drinking it, I will feel much better – It’s a sense of safety and familiarity during fragile moments. I can tell that this video campaign understands this emotional attachment from the audience and has delivered it in this video campaign.
Broader Trends: The Rise of Emotional Branded Content
“Donaton (2004) asserts that the alliance of advertising and entertainment media is a means to repair the damaged business models of both. Branded entertainment is vital to save the media and marketing communication industries. We are witnessing, says Donaton, a fundamental transformation of the business of marketing communications from an intrusion-based marketing economy to an invitation-based model. This represents a shift of power from communicators to consumers.”
Jonathan Hardy
The video campaign sheds light on a shift in advertising towards “invitation-based engagement.” Successful brand campaigns like the ‘999 Cold Remedy’ call for consumers to engage through narratives with emotional connection. Furthermore, driven by the convergence of paid, earned, shared, and owned media—the PESO model, this video is also a reflection of a larger transition in the advertising industries in China.