China – In celebration of China’s Giant Panda Conservation Day, e-commerce giant Taobao has teamed up with ad agency Heaven&Hell Shanghai to debut an animated short film aimed at raising awareness and garnering support for wild panda habitat conservation.
Titled ‘TaoTao’s Story,’ the animated film uses traditional Chinese shadow puppetry to tell the legend of TaoTao, the world’s first wild-trained and successfully rewilded panda. Adopted by Taobao in 2012, TaoTao’s recent discovery in the wild, possibly as a ‘grandfather,’ marks a milestone in China’s wild panda conservation efforts and a significant moment for Taobao.
To introduce TaoTao’s hometown of Sichuan, Heaven&Hell Shanghai used the region’s iconic shadow puppetry to tell TaoTao’s story. The film highlights ten key moments, from TaoTao’s wild training by its mother, CaoCao, to its rewilding, adaptation to nature, and eventual legacy as a legend.
The creative agency also enlisted Zhuying Xiong, the storyteller behind the “Headless Monk” segment in the popular game Black Myth: Wukong, to narrate TaoTao’s story through song.
Through this campaign, Taobao aimed to leverage its brand recognition to raise awareness of TaoTao’s legendary story and highlight the need for support in constructing habitats for TaoTao and the 1,900 other wild giant pandas.
In addition to the animated film, Taobao launched 10 posters in high-traffic subway stations across Sichuan and Hangzhou to raise awareness of TaoTao and encourage support for wild panda habitat conservation. To further engage the public, Heaven&Hell created limited-edition TaoTao plush toys, allowing fans to connect with the campaign in a fun, wearable way.
