As multiple countries battle a heatwave unlike any other, a new commercial in China focuses on a cooler alternative to tackle the heat. Together with a touching, poignant commercial, Midea, the electrical appliance brand also launched an offline pop-up event in the Guangdong province.
Neglected Background Board by Midea
Titled ‘Neglected Background Board’, the 3-minute film by Midea begins with clips of different households preparing food in a hot, stuffy kitchen. Depicted in these scenes are an elderly couple, a young husband, and mothers, and fathers, relentlessly crafting meals for their loved ones.
As the home cooks pore over hot, fiery woks and smoky conditions, they are drenched in sweat. The temperature in the kitchen is so hot that a cook even resorts to placing icy popsicles down his back, opening the refrigerator for some cold relief in between cooking.
Accompanied by mouth-watering food montages, the cooks say reiterations of “It’s fine.” in Chinese, turning down offers for help. Even as they age or fall sick, they never fail to provide nutritious home-cooked meals for their family.
Using the emotional aspect of kinship and rising temperatures, Midea steps in with a solution. Presenting the Kitchen Cooling Series Air Conditioner, home cooks can now prepare meals without feeling overwhelmed by the heat.
Hot Summer Kitchen Pop-Up
Bringing to life the idea of kitchen air conditioning, the brand launched an offline experimental kitchen in Foshan, a city in the Guangdong province. The two-day pop-up invited visitors to take on the challenge of cooking in a ‘high-temperature summer’ kitchen.
Once cooks completed the challenge, they were moved to a different section where a Midea air-conditioner was installed. Putting the cooks in two contrasting environments bolstered awareness of how life-changing a Midea air-conditioner would be in the kitchen.
By creating highly-relatable scenarios and launching during a timely season, the Midea commercial is one that drives consumption based on familial emotions. Even for far-away relatives, the short film shows that distances may be far, but family will always remain in your heart.
