THE
RENEWAL
BOTTLE
January 2025
Client: Budweiser China
Client: Budweiser China
2024 was the year of the Dragon. Big, bold, the zodiac of power and prosperity. But the promise fizzled as the economy slowed and uncertainty rose. Then came 2025, the Snake. Ominous, uneasy, and paired with unemployment and rising anxiety. Even Chinese New Year, the nation’s happiest moment, felt muted.
How does a beer brand that champions celebration bring optimism in China when it is plagued by bad news after bad news in the new year?
We started with our bottle by conceptualising a product packaging that is inspired by the snake shedding its skin. A bottle of renewal that allows you to shed away the bad to unlock wishes of prosperity, love, happiness, abundance and positivity within. From there, we built an entire campaign around the ritual of renewal. Countdowns, reunions, fresh beginnings. All anchored by our bottle that symbolized letting go of the old and stepping into the new.
We didn’t just sell bottles. We created a ritual of renewal for the entire nation to look forward to.
How does a beer brand that champions celebration bring optimism in China when it is plagued by bad news after bad news in the new year?
We started with our bottle by conceptualising a product packaging that is inspired by the snake shedding its skin. A bottle of renewal that allows you to shed away the bad to unlock wishes of prosperity, love, happiness, abundance and positivity within. From there, we built an entire campaign around the ritual of renewal. Countdowns, reunions, fresh beginnings. All anchored by our bottle that symbolized letting go of the old and stepping into the new.
We didn’t just sell bottles. We created a ritual of renewal for the entire nation to look forward to.
Film:
Chief Creative Officer: Johnny Tan
Creative Directors: Joseph Chan, Marvin Liang, Paolo Agulto
Senior Art Directors: Dalton Choo, Jessica Chow
Production House: The Mill