Panda Express - "Traditions Shared"

The Many

The Many Pacific Palisades, United States

3926

Brand: Panda Express
Country: United States

Advertiser: Panda Restaurant Group

Title	Traditions Shared
Agency	The Many
Campaign	Traditions Shared
Advertiser	Panda Restaurant Group
Brand	Panda Express
Date of First Broadcast/Publication	2021 / 2
Business Sector	Restaurants & Fast Food
Story	Panda Express, the largest family-owned and operated Asian dining concept in the U.S., today launched “Traditions Shared” by Los Angeles-based agency The Many in celebration of Lunar New Year beginning on Friday, February 12. The new three-minute film, made in conjunction with Strike Anywhere and director Erica Eng, is a heartwarming story that invites the world to celebrate the traditions of Lunar New Year with Panda Express through the experience of good food, family and togetherness, especially those who might be unfamiliar with the holiday.
Philosophy	The short film, shot safely in Los Angeles amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, follows a young boy, Jordan, through his first Lunar New Year celebration with his neighbors, The Lee’s, who celebrate every year with all of the traditional trappings of the holiday - mandarins for prosperity, authentic Chinese dishes and decorations, and of course, the giving and receiving of lucky red envelopes. As Jordan is invited into The Lee’s home to experience the Lunar New Year festivities for himself and learn about the foods, customs and traditions that surround the holiday, so too is the viewer. It’s not until Jordan is leaving that the film takes a twist, revealing that the celebration he experienced is actually set in the past and that this year, as many families are separated, Lunar New Year looks much different. There are fewer decorations and fewer people. We see The Lee grandparents celebrate virtually with their family members, and as the film nears the end, there is a knock at the door—in an act of socially distanced kindness, Jordan, keeps the tradition of sharing good fortune alive by giving The Lee’s a box of Panda Express Spring Rolls, symbolizing prosperity for the new year - the same dish he fell in love with during Lunar New Year many years ago. The film concludes with Jordan’s own family sitting around their table celebrating the holiday and not only keeping the custom alive, but also passing down the traditions of Lunar New Year to his own son around a warm and inviting table spread with a Panda Express Family Meal. Directed by Strike Anywhere’s Erica Eng, the behind the scenes was as intentional as the film itself. In regards to assembling the crew, Eng said, “It was important to have Chinese Americans in the roles that mattered to maintain cultural authenticity. From our production designer bringing items from her own home to decorate our sets, to our food stylist pulling inspiration from her own family's Lunar New Year meals, we wanted to make sure our culture was portrayed as correctly as possible on-screen." The film is the first from Panda since handing over AOR duties to The Many in 2020. It debuts today across Hulu and Panda’s social channels, and will run until February 28, 2021. As an extension of this multidimensional Lunar New Year campaign, Panda launched an all-new digital red envelope experience, inviting guests nationwide to spread good fortune and prosperity. Furthermore, Panda Express teamed up with Joy Cho, Founder and Creative Director of Oh Joy! to create limited-edition celebration kits for the whole family, now available at the Swag Shop
Media Type	Web Film
Length	183 seconds
Advertising Manager	Kevin Holmes
Advertising Manager	Lisa Bryant
Advertising Manager	Paige Hasama
Advertising Manager	Alex Tsao
Advertising Manager	Amy Molina
Advertising Manager	Jessica Chao
Advertising Manager	Arvin Dicioco
Executive Creative Director / Partner	Scott Harris
Creative Director	Josh Paialii
Senior Brand Director	Kylie Wu
Strategy Director	Ashleigh Edwards
Associate Director of Project Management	Svetlana Kornilova
Art Director	Cameron Bell
Copywriter	Evan Chiplock
Production Company	Strike Anywhere
Director	Erica Eng
Executive Producer	Victoria Guenier
Agency Producer	Kimberly Vorse
Line Producer	Sarah Park
Casting Director	Claire Koonce
Casting Director	Charlene Le
Assistant Director	Kaelan Housewright
2nd AD	Jordan Zhu
Director of Photography (DOP)	Ben Kitchens
Production Designer	Stella Deng
Wardrobe / Stylist	Eunice Jera Lee
Hair	Carol Choi
Make-Up Artist	Cristina Waltz
Food Stylist	Anna Lee
Script Supervisor	Stacy Chu
Storyboard Artist	Tiffany Young
Editor	Bowei Yue
Music Composer	Aiko Fukushima