Tianyi zhai productions

Inaugural Ann Arbor Chinese Film Festival

Overview

The Ann Arbor Chinese Film Festival aimed to celebrate Chinese cinema and culture, connecting diverse audiences through film. As part of the festival’s marketing team, I implemented a multi-channel promotional strategy to generate awareness and drive attendance, leveraging both U.S. and Chinese platforms to reach a broad demographic.

Key Campaign Components

Print Media:

• Posters: Led the design of eye-catching posters that highlighted the festival’s theme and film lineup. Posters were strategically placed in high-traffic campus locations such as libraries, student centers, and dining halls to maximize visibility.

• Flyers: Created informational flyers with event details, including the schedule, featured films, and special guests. Flyers were distributed during related campus events and posted on bulletin boards in key locations.

Digital Media Campaigns:

• Instagram (U.S. Audience):
  • Developed a series of engaging posts and stories, including trailers, countdowns, and “behind-the-scenes” content, tailored to resonate with a younger audience.
  • Used Instagram features like polls, Q&A sessions, and hashtags to interact with followers and spark conversations about the event.
• WeChat and Xiaohongshu (Chinese Audience):
  • Published frequent updates about the festival, including announcements, film highlights, and promotional materials, to reach a Chinese-speaking audience.
  • Created visually compelling posts on Xiaohongshu to engage younger users while building community excitement on WeChat through targeted group sharing.
  • Published an in-depth article on the festival’s official WeChat account. This article offered a comprehensive overview of the event, including schedules, featured films, and cultural insights, and was widely shared within local Chinese community groups, student organizations, and film enthusiast circles.

Collaborations and Partnerships:

• filMarathon Collaboration: Partnered with filMarathon, a Shanghai-based platform for aspiring filmmakers, to promote the festival internationally. This collaboration amplified the festival’s visibility by leveraging filMarathon’s extensive network and established audience in the film industry.
• Local Organizations: Coordinated with campus cultural and student organizations to co-promote the event. This included sharing materials, hosting joint events, and tapping into their member networks for further outreach.

Community Engagement:

• Hosted on-campus promotional events to generate interest and distribute flyers directly to attendees.
• Leveraged word-of-mouth marketing by encouraging festival supporters and volunteers to share details about the event within their personal and professional networks.

Outcomes:

• Attendance: Achieved a high turnout, with attendance surpassing initial expectations, including a mix of students, faculty, and local community members.
• Social Media Engagement: Instagram posts and stories received significant views and interactions. On WeChat, the official article and promotional materials were shared widely, resulting in extensive engagement across various groups and networks.
• Expanded Reach: The collaboration with filMarathon extended the festival’s reach beyond the local audience, enhancing its profile on an international level.

Recap Video

Who M I – University of Michigan Social Card Game

Overview

Icebreaking at a party or class is always a pain for U-M students. We introduce our majors and fun facts or play small awkward games together, but through which we never really get to know each other. “Who M I” is the solution for that. 

“Who M I” is a card game specifically designed for U-M students, faculty, staff, and alumni to empower meaningful connections with each other. Each card has a question about personal life on it, mostly related to their U-M experience, like “what’s your favorite spot on campus?” There are also bomb cards that come with goofy questions, such as “what’s your favorite restroom on campus?” People other than the person who draws this card will guess the answer. Whoever guesses correctly wins this card, and whoever gets the most cards wins. It is a simple mechanism to quickly bring people closer to each other.

Marketing Proposal

Social Media

Project Feasibility Analysis

Market Analysis

The U-M community is vast and diverse, providing an excellent market for this game specifically designed for the community. There is a significant need for opportunities to connect with each other (small-sized classes, discussion sessions, club activities, friend gatherings, Greek life, etc.), especially in a fun and engaging way. Additionally, the game is unique and tailored specifically for UMich, adding further value to potential customers and differentiating us from similar products on the market.

Technical Analysis

The game mechanism is simple, allowing for quick learning, easy gameplay, and a customized play experience. The game cards can be produced by card game manufacturers, which is a well-established production line. The game can be played with 3 to 10 people, which is an appropriate size for most gatherings.

Financial Analysis

The initial funding for the game will be provided by the team members. We will split the cost of production, which is approximately $350. The selling price we are aiming at when launching the cards is $12.99, with an original price of $19.99. With the cost of $4.69 per deck of cards, considering production and shipping, this leaves us with a gross profit margin of 63.90%.