Drunk Elephant 2026 Chinese New Year Campaign

About The Entry

For the 2026 Chinese New Year, Drunk Elephant launched a digital campaign built on a simple yet powerful concept: telling a Western brand's story through Eastern art. The project was led by the Shiseido China Creative team.

Rather than imposing a Western lens, we embraced genuine collision and collaboration between East and West. Traditional Chinese craft became the vehicle for a modern skincare story – a visual language neither translated nor borrowed, but truly co-created.

We invited emerging Chinese printmaker Liu Ze to create an exclusive woodblock artwork. Using her printmaking assets, we delivered a series of bold visuals featuring a horse head set against vibrant colors drawn from Drunk Elephant's product universe. Printmaking was chosen deliberately – it is regenerative and iterative, mirroring the brand's philosophy of resetting and regenerating skin.

The campaign was deployed across WeChat, Red, and Tmall, creating an instant "pop effect" with Chinese consumers. More importantly, it demonstrated a Western brand honoring Chinese intangible cultural heritage as a method, not a decoration.

This project proves that genuine cultural dialogue is possible when East and West meet as equals. Craft becomes respect. Regeneration becomes culture.