Chinese costume drama Zhu Yu (逐玉) is currently hot topic in China, and Oreo (奥利奥) has taken notice. With the series currently airing, the brand has named actress Tian Xiwei (田曦薇) as its Spring Brand Ambassador, building the campaign around her role as Fan Changyu (樊长玉), a plucky figure with a rags-to-riches arc and a solid tie-in to food.
That’s refreshing, because most brands lean the other way: on celebrity, rather than role. Oreo are pulling campaign visuals straight from Zhu Yu. They follow Fan Changyu’s journey from butcher’s daughter to general. Her knack for cooking – a small but memorable trait in the series – forms the hook. With it, Oreo get to tell a story about food as comfort in tough conditions.
That idea runs through the campaign line: 尝尽春日味，让再苦的军营日子也有盼头, (lit. Taste the flavours of spring – so even on the toughest days in camp you have something to look forward to). It’s not typical of Oreo, a brand that’s marketing is usually playful and light.
This push also coincides with the launch of a limited edition Spring range. The season, with its connotations of renewal and so forth, mirrors the character’s arc, lending the product drop a bit more narrative weight.
More broadly, it’s a good example of how brands in China are approaching IP collaborations. Rather than relying on star power alone, they link into the emotional logic of a character audiences already understand. You can look at the wild buzz around Zootopia 2 or the Ne Zha films for examples of that. Black Myth Wukong would also fit the bill. In this playbook, it’s not just about star power alone, but what that star’s story can do for your brand.
