Lee Kum Kee launches first-ever global campaign in time for LNY

To celebrate Lunar New Year, a time when people worldwide gather to share traditional dishes, Hong Kong food company Lee Kum Kee has launched its first-ever global brand campaign in its 137-year history.

 

The brand film, titled 'Flavours That Bind', aims to capture the universal themes of togetherness, tradition, and shared culinary experiences that define Lunar New Year. It features families and friends gathering around tables, reminiscing about cherished memories while creating new ones. Ultimately, the film seeks to remind us that Lee Kum Kee sauces may seem like the glue holding these momentous meals together. 

 

 

The film was created in partnership with DDB Group Hong Kong and is backed by the brand’s largest-ever media investment. It will be featured across outdoor landmarks like digital billboards in New York’s Times Square, London’s Outernet, Shanghai top department store, and Hong Kong International Airport—plus online and across social media.

 

Doreen Cheng, chief marketing officer of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, said, “With our new brand campaign launch, Lee Kum Kee celebrates its evolution as a global gateway to Asian culinary culture, showcasing the diversity and richness of Asian flavors on a worldwide stage."

 

Adrian Ts’o, chief strategy officer at DDB Group Hong Kong, added, “It’s not every day you get the chance to take a home-grown Hong Kong brand global. This is exactly the kind of work we aspire to do more of. Our city has so much to offer, and it’s an exciting new era for Lee Kum Kee. We can’t wait to showcase this phenomenal brand to audiences everywhere.”

 

Campaign's take: We think it’s great that Lee Kum Kee—an iconic brand in its own right—decided to launch its first-ever global campaign to coincide with Lunar New Year. But aside from the excellent timing, the ideation and writing in the brand film runs cliché—what with the stilted writing and the crescendoed music. Themes such as tradition, nostalgia, and togetherness are a given in a festive campaign, but perhaps a fresher approach could have made them pop a little more.