Skin tells a story in Intel’s ‘Look Inside’ campaign by JWT featuring Badminton legend Lin Dan

 

Lin, a two time Olympic champion and five time world champion, is widely described as the greatest badminton player of all time.  He is a national hero, but his tattoos are one of the most debated topics online in China, where they remain taboo.   

 

On Lin’s left upper arm is a tattoo of a cross that represents his bond with his Christian grandmother, who visited him twice a week at the sports school where he lived from the age of nine.   The five stars on Lin’s lower left arm signify his historic “Gold” Grand Slam, when he earned an Olympic Gold and four worldwide titles in one year.  The tattoo on his upper right arm reads “Until the end of the world”, the theme song from Slam Dunk, Lin’s favorite anime film.   On his lower left arm are the initials of his wife Fang Fang, herself a former world champion.  Lin’s own initials, topped by a lopsided crown, are on the back of his neck. 

 

“We wanted to allow Lin Dan’s tattoos to tell the public his story.  As each story unfolds, we see how Lin himself looks inside for inspiration,” said JWT Beijing chief creative officer Polly Chu.

 

 

 

In the main thematic film, the tattoos come to life as Lin plays badminton, wordlessly illustrating five, interconnected stories of power, love, belief, courage and family support.  Lin’s voiceover dedicates each tattoo as its story unfolds:  “To my grandmother, the fire in my heart and my greatest weapon,” he says, as the cross dissolves into an ink animation of an elderly woman giving a small boy a racket, and throwing him high.   

 

In another scene that plays out on his set of tattooed stars, a badminton player wins a mighty figurative battle against five hooked chains, only to suffer defeat in the next game: “To my past, where my glory is not just winning, but in rising every time I fall.”  A woman hands the defeated player a new racket, takes his hand and, together, they soar past obstacles.  “To Fang Fang, my source of strength and my greatest happiness,” Lin says.

 

In five other interview-style films, Lin himself tells the story of behind each tattoo, and describes how they remain symbols of inspiration both on and off the court.  As he talks, the ink comes to life through animation, adding an emotional and visually-rich layer to his words.  “It’s not the results,” he says. “At the end of the day, it’s your attitude that really matters”.  The tagline: “Belief that comes from within.  Look inside.”

 

The campaign is part of Intel’s new brand platform, Look Inside, which celebrates the potential in all of us to do something remarkable.  The spots, which aired online in China on December 1, have drawn over 1.2 million views in six weeks.

 

“The ‘Look Inside’ campaign extends the brand spirit of ‘Intel Inside’ at a time when consumers are moving from PCs to tablets and smart phones,” said Angela Xi, Intel China brand manager. “It’s all about unleashing potential.  The Lin Dan films illustrate this idea in a powerful way.”

 

View the other five films by following these links: