China – Budweiser has unveiled a new campaign in China that follows the story of a shy concertgoer whose unexpected crowd-surfing journey takes him from the sidelines to the spotlight on stage.
Developed by Africa Creative DDB and directed by Henry Scholfield through HAMLET China, the campaign highlights the connection between music artists and their fans while promoting Budweiser’s collaboration with pop star Jackson Wang and US rock band OneRepublic ahead of their upcoming release.
At the centre of the campaign is a 70-second film, ‘Crowdsurfing’, which tells the story of Xiaowang, a fan tasked with delivering drinks to the performers on stage. The film opens inside a packed concert venue, where OneRepublic is set to join Jackson for a debut performance. When the artists discover their cooler is empty, Xiaowang is thrust into the spotlight with the challenge of getting the drinks through the crowd.
His journey unfolds through a series of obstacles, near-misses, and dramatic turns—including being pushed in the wrong direction, separated from the cooler, and almost dropped before being caught again by the crowd. The moment even makes it to live television, surprising his mother, who is watching from home. Xiaowang eventually reaches the stage, completing his mission and sharing a celebratory toast with the artists.
Shot in Scholfield’s cinematic style, the film combines Steadicam and drone shots to capture the scale and energy of the concert, weaving through the crowd and highlighting both the chaos and choreography of the moment. The soundtrack features a mash-up of OneRepublic’s Counting Stars and Jackson’s Buck from his new album MAGICMAN 2.
The campaign is now rolling out across television and digital platforms in Greater China, including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
Yimeng Zhang, managing partner and executive producer of Hamlet China, said, “Bringing this campaign film to life has been an immensely rewarding journey. Over the course of three months, the project became a testament to global collaboration, uniting teams across five time zones and three languages. With shoots in both Shanghai and Los Angeles, every detail was crafted with passion and precision. The long nights and hard work invested by everyone involved have culminated in a showpiece we are truly thrilled to unveil.”
