BBC Sport's Olympics Monkey
Marketing Campaign for Its Coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Aug 5, 2008
To promote its coverage of the coming 2008 Beijing Olympics, BBC Sports has launched a marketing campaign based on the Chinese legend Journey to the West.
The Trailer
Monkey was shown being born out of a rock and given a mandate by the Goddess of Mercy (Guan Yin) to embark on the journey to seek hope and glory. Along the way, he met Pigsy and Sandy, and the trio fought various demons and monsters.
Several Olympic sports were cleverly but subtly incorporated in the animation:
- Monkey – Athletics (javelin throw and relay);
- Pigsy – Athletics (hammer throw, long jump, hurdles, relay and pole vault) and Gymnastics (horizontal bar); and
- Sandy – Taekwondo, Diving and Swimming (breaststroke).
Eventually, the trio arrived at the National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) and successfully lit the Olympic fire.
Creative Team
The campaign was created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, the creators of the virtual superband Gorillaz. Albarn is a music composer while Hewlett is a graphic designer. Both of them are also the creative team for the opera Monkey: Journey to the West, which premiered in 2007.
The U.K. audience is familiar with the Chinese legend because Monkey Magic, a Japanese television series dubbed in English, was a popular cult TV hit back in the 1970s. The arpeggios played on synthesizers are probably Albarn's tribute to the musical style of Monkey Magic.
In addition, Gorillaz fans and those familiar with its music videos will recognize its distinctive style, as evident in the depiction of Monkey and the zombie-like Sandy.
Special Features
The trailer, although only two minutes in duration, comprises fifty nine scenes and three thousand frames of video. Instead of employing computer-generated graphics, all the character drawings were animated using the traditional style of pencil drawing on paper. It took the team of ten animators twelve weeks to complete the entire sequence.
For the soundtrack, recorded in London and Beijing, twenty instruments were used including classical Chinese instruments such as the pipa (lute), erhu (2-string fiddle) and guzheng (zither).
The vocals were provided by a 38-strong Chinese choir, whose voices were “doubled” in the recording studio. The female soloist who sang the part of Guan Yin was Jia Ruhan. The melody she sang was repeated towards the end, but at double speed.
Comments
Those from the MTV generation found the campaign novel, fun and refreshing. Praise was given for the good artistry and well-executed animation, despite it being in 2D. Those familiar with Japanese anime were reminded of Dragon Ball, which was inspired by the same Chinese legend. On the other hand, older viewers were reminded of Monkey Magic from their childhood days.
On the negative side, Buddhist monk Tripitaka (Tang Sanzhang), the trio’s master, was sorely missed. Those familiar with the traditional Chinese portrayal of the characters were also uncomfortable with the demonic appearances of Monkey and Sandy. Some questioned whether it was appropriate for Pigsy, a Buddhist disciple, to be shown eating a chicken drumstick.
Despite these shortcomings, the campaign definitely caught the viewing public’s imagination. Interestingly, the Monkey God was a popular choice among the Chinese when an internet poll was done to identify an official mascot for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. So, it looks like BBC Sports has certainly hit upon a winning formula!
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