Tencent Video Turns Shanghai Metro Into a Comic World - Tencent Video | Clapboard Ad Archive

Tencent Video’s 2018 campaign Turns Shanghai Metro Into a Comic World, created by JCDecaux, redefined out-of-home advertising in China’s bustling urban landscape by transforming a high-traffic metro interchange into an immersive, multi-sensory environment that promoted the launch of its latest online film. Leveraging a 46-meter-long digital wall to project a vibrant movie trailer, the campaign captured the attention of thousands of daily commuters with bold, kinetic visuals that borrowed directly from the distinctive aesthetics of comics and graphic novels, situating the brand firmly within a culturally resonant pop culture format. Complementing this visual spectacle, 78 lanterns were suspended from the ceiling, enhancing the thematic atmosphere and creating a tangible sense of depth and engagement that blurred the boundaries between advertising and entertainment. This strategic use of the urban transit space exemplified Tencent Video’s mastery of integrating cutting-edge digital technology with artistic design elements to elevate brand presence in a crowded media environment. Positioned within the Electronics and Technology sector and operating in the Media and Entertainment market category, the campaign’s narrative relied less on traditional storytelling and more on sensory adaptation, making what Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#12—Parody or Borrowed Format—the core creative device by appropriating a widely recognized visual language to generate excitement and anticipation for the film and the platform itself. By eschewing product demonstration or testimonial approaches, Tencent Video focused on delivering an experiential brand encounter that felt both organic to the metro context and innovative in its execution, thus setting a new standard for immersive outdoor advertising in the region. The campaign earns 71/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. This campaign matters to the industry because it demonstrates how media brands can leverage borrowed cultural formats to create highly immersive, contextually integrated experiences that engage diverse urban audiences without relying on conventional narrative structures.