Chinese telecommunications company vivo (维沃) – and yes, they like the lower-case V – hits a milestone this year: their 30th birthday. To celebrate, the company teamed up with Billibilli (哔哩哔哩) to put out a short film charting the brand’s story.
And vivo has had a pretty remarkable story, one that mirrors China’s successes in recent decades. Since its founding in Dongguan, Guangdong province, in 1995 they’ve gone global, now operating in over 50 countries with an annual production capacity approaching 200 million smartphones. They’re even in the robotics race.
The short film, titled Please Answer, 1995, begins with grainy footage from the 90s, back when vivo made house phones and smart phones were still science fiction, then sets out to revisit milestone events through the eyes of ordinary people: the nationwide introduction of the two-day weekend, the spread of landline telephones, the return of Hong Kong.
Image: screenshots from film
These grand events are set to the backdrop of a family’s personal memories on a timeline spanning three decades, underscoring how the everyday lives of individuals are intertwined with the country’s transformation.
For vivo, the story is one of its own evolution from cherished household landline to today’s smartphones. The message goes beyond a simple product push. By inserting their brand into the national narrative and the changing lives of the everyday family, they tap into two deep nostalgia points for Chinese consumers. The point is driven home by the message that vivo has been there, through all of this, by your side.
Image: screenshots from film
Tech companies are often portrayed as unwieldy ‘giants’, inhuman and unfeeling. It’s a problem many similar brands wrestle: Apple frames ads around human creativity, Xiaomi highlights approachable design. With this new short film, vivo have artfully weaved a touching human element into their brand’s 30-year story. They’ve also declared their intent to be by customers’ sides for another 30.
