TOPic Beijing hijacked the Paris Olympics logo to promote Chinese dairy brand Yili

The Chinese are obsessed with the Olympics, especially after securing the bid to host. In China, becoming an Olympic sponsor not only means gaining immense attention but also unlocking greater sales potential.

In a market where products like milk, which emphasize physical health, dominate, the brand that can capture the Olympic spotlight controls both influence and sales. Yili, one of China’s top two dairy brands, was devastated to see its rival, Mengniu, become an official sponsor of the Paris Olympics.

To make matters worse, even top Chinese athletes, who symbolize strength and vitality, were signed by Mengniu.

Mengniu spent a reported $3 billion. Yili, however, doesn’t have that kind of money, but they can afford a celebrity endorsement worth a few hundred thousand dollars. Though they couldn’t afford to sponsor the Olympics, their agency TOPic Beijing sponsored the Olympic twins – “LUYU”.

“LUYU”, a Chinese star, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the Paris Olympics logo, is often dubbed China’s Oprah, having kept the same hairstyle for 30 years, When the Olympics logo was revealed, most people in China instantly thought, “That’s LUYU.”

TOPic Beijing made her the brand’s “Paris Ambassador” and leveraged her shows, personal social media, and live streams to spread the word. Everyone assumed LUYU was endorsing the Olympics, but in reality, Yili wasn’t an official sponsor.

Credits
AGENCY:TOPic,BEIJING
PRODUCE CAMPANY:SMOOTH,SHANGHAI
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER:SNOW LEE
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER:CHEN SHENGXIONG
CREATIVE PARTNER:HAN XU
CREATIVE DIRECTOR(ART):ZHANG TIANLIANG
CREATIVE DIRECTOR(COPY):HUANG XIAOQIAN
ART DIRECTOR:DENG SHUYUE
BUSINESS PARTNER:GARY LAU
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR:WANG JIANI