Sports

BBC Sports has taken a page from history in its approach to advertising TV coverage of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Other than the typical action shots of gold metals, spectacular athletic feats, and the Olympic torch, BBC Sports has collaborated with virtual band Gorillaz co-creators singer-songwriter Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett to create a promotional campaign that utilizes the Chinese “Journey to the West” story:

The ad, titled “Journey to the East”, is a 2-minute animation, which incorporated traditional pencil-paper techniques and computer FX, took 12 weeks to complete. The animation takes essential qualities from the Wu Cheng’en’s “Journey to the West” story, which written in the 1590s, is known as one of the four great classics in Chinese literature. The story (Check Wikipedia for the full story background), basically is about how the East has become a land that “knows only greed, hedonism, promiscuity, and sins”. The journey of a monk and his 3 companions (Monkey, Pig, and Sandy) to India is to bring back the Buddhist sutras, which will bring “transcendence and persuasion for good will” back to the East.

The “Journey to the East” animation incorporates not only values and beliefs from the “Journey to the West” classic, but also the Olympics’ core values. As stated on the official Olympic site, “the Games have always brought people together in peace to respect universal moral principles.” The event is a symbol of our choice as a people to put aside our political and historical differences in a moment of time to celebrate our diversity and strengths as a single people. China’s historical stories are infused into the “Journey to the East”, embodying the fundamental core meaning behind the Olympics, and as a result, puts China in a position to be less about the growing problems revolving around human rights, pollution, etc., and more a symbol of growth, prosperity and peace.

There are many elements through the entire 2-minute animation that embody the spirit of the Olympics. The characters Monkey, Pig, and Sandy symbolize how we are only mortals and mortals make mistakes, but with enlightenment and a second chance, we can be great.

Monkey

Like an Olympic runner, Monkey is agile and fast, but like any mortal, he can be excessively violent and had rebelled against Heaven when he was previously the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

Pig

Perhaps the strongest of the three companions, he “often gets himself and his companions into trouble by his laziness, his gluttony, and his propensity for lusting after pretty women.”

Sandy

Previously Great General who Folds the Curtain, Sandy was “banished to the mortal realm for dropping (and shattering) a crystal goblet of the Heavenly Queen Mother.”

These characters, originally immortal members of Heaven, made terrible mistakes, but they fundamentally are good and are given a second change to redeem themselves by utilizing their skills in the quest for the Buddhist sutras. The Olympics showcases athletes and their talents. More so, they are representatives of the best qualities in humanity. Not only the physical, but the respect, mutual admiration, and honor. Outside of the Olympics, we may be regular mailmen, teachers, and office workers, but at the Olympics, we rise to the occasion to fulfill our human potential. Regardless of China’s own problems with human rights and its political stance with countries like Taiwan and Tibet, the message is that we are all given second chances (every 4 years perhaps?) to reach for gold. Progress takes time and we struggle along the way. In the end of the “Journey to the West”, when the monk and his companions succeed in their quest, they are all rewarded: Monkey and the monk achieve Buddhahood, Sandy becomes an arhat, and Pig becomes an atlar cleanser (he gets to eat the leftovers. Shoot, where do I sign up that??).

The promotional ad is full of symbols that connect with the Olympics. Even the Olympic stadium is in the form of a bird’s nest, which in many parts of Asia, is the key ingredient in bird’s nest soup, because it is “rich in nutrients which are traditionally believed to provide health benefits, such as aiding digestion, raising libido, improving the voice, alleviating asthma, increasing concentration, and an overall benefit to the immune system.” Cannot be a great athlete without being healthy, mind, body and soul!

The utilization of the storytelling medium and the new techniques of animation and TV show a remix of tradition and progress that embodies China’s desire for a positive self-image in the world. The BBC correctly wants to show China as wanting to be a progress leader while using traditional values. The campaign’s use of morally grounded stories shows traditional values can transcend time and is relevant today. It is interesting that the title of the animation is “Journey to the EAST” and not “Journey to the “WEST”. It is a clever word choice that hints to China being where the “transcendence and persuasion for good will” can be found. Monkey and his friends travel their way to the Bird Nest Stadium to find where all the goodness in the world is. It is an image that is very optimistic and is what the Olympics holds dear.

The campaign is effective in taking two qualities that many Chinese care about when it comes to the perception of their country by other people in the world: modernity and traditional values. Also, Albarn and Hewlett are using engaging animations to connect to the audiences that are either unfamiliar with the story and its characters but are intrigued, or the audiences that are familiar and nostalgic. The characters, setting, and emotion connect to what the Olympics are all about: putting a positive message of hope, prosperity, and progress. The remix animation is a great bridge for the 2008 Olympics to show that history is the constant teacher and can guide us in our future. It is in the present where we must act.

“The past is history. The future is a mystery. The present is a gift.” Just wanted to throw that quote out there for fun! ?

Do you believe China’s image will become more positive after the Olympics?

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BONUS:

Here is some “Behind the Scenes” in creating the characters from the “Journey to the East” Olympic promotion, which are based originally off a live stage adaption by the same Gorillaz creators: