Poster from the 2021 film ‘Hi, Mom’

Universal was keen to get a clear sense of the cultural forces impacting their vast range of targets (2-56 year olds!), and how these translate to storylines, characters, merchandise, experiences and fandom. China being one of their most important markets, we were tasked to deep dive into the shifts!

The project was carried out in 3 phases. Ground phase was to identify potential cultural forces. Through analysis of over 200 emerging and shifting cultural phenomena within the past year from dogs to Mars, we arrived at 3 key themes with 9 sub-themes. For Phase II, we carried out friendship pair interviews in 3 cities to explore the emotional depth and resonance of the themes identified in Phase I, as well as identify psychological shifts during the pandemic. In order to translate themes to tangible actions, we conducted a 5-day digital journey with a large number of fresh participants in Phase III to focus on how these themes manifest in life across generations and geographies.

We identified 3 impactful cultural forces in China illustrated through rich cultural examples and personal stories, together with tangible implications for different functions. Yes, you might see your favorite character with some new personality traits in the next movie!

In collaboration with Forward