Keep, China’s leading fitness brand, is set to release a music video during the 2024 Olympics to further its “dialectical approach to exercise”. The video, starring Olympic athletes Zhang Deshun, Fei Liwei, and Liu Qingyi, seeks to deepen Keep’s brand message – “inspiring users to exercise and making lasting change” – by presenting a fresh perspective that encapsulates the brand’s athletic spirit and strengthens its connection with users.
Sport, much like candy on the journey of life, brings joy in diverse ways. Some find happiness simply by running, while others take joy even after losing a competition. For some, hiking offers healing through nature, and for others, swimming provides a sense of emotional release as the water envelops them. As Karma Shanghai’s creative team delved deeper into the emotional experiences tied to sport, they found a unifying theme in these varying personal responses—flow. This led to the birth of the concept of “Flame Inside”, blending the flame of the Olympic torch with the inner flame of athletes’ passion.
Karma Shanghai’s Chief Creative Officer, Karma Zhang, invited Jody Xiong to direct the video. Xiong (Xiong Chao), one of China’s most acclaimed creatives and the visual effects director for the Beijing Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony, earned widespread praise for his Magnificent celebrating Yotkan Ancient City in Xinjiang. The film not only resonated with Chinese audiences but also swept major international awards in 2024, including a Bronze Lion at Cannes Lions, a Gold Cube at ADC New York, a Wood Pencil at D&AD, a Gold Pencil at AWARD Australia, and a Silver Clio.
The music video blends traditional Chinese opera elements with modern athletic spirit, creating a distinctive audiovisual experience. In the opening scenes, unexpected angles vividly capture the athletes’ challenges in training and competition. As the narrative unfolds, the visuals shift into bold, vibrant colors, immersing viewers in the athletes’ flow states—a passionate, focused, and deeply absorbing mental space. This aligns perfectly with Keep’s brand ethos. For instance, track athlete Zhang Deshun is depicted running like the wind on top of an airplane; swimmer Fei Liwei embraces the solitude of the deep ocean, swimming beneath majestic whales; breakdancer Liu Qingyi performs dynamic moves atop a colorful torch tower; a young basketball player becomes the animated hero of his own story; a cyclist rides through an amusement park in the clouds; an elderly gymnast does a handstand on parallel bars in outer space; and a boxer trains by punching sandbags falling from the sky. These vivid scenes reinforce the idea that the true force driving sustained sport is not external, but rather the internal flow state.
“In the script refinement stage, Director Jody Xiong continuously surprised us by injecting boundless creativity into the original concept. The first half of the video highlights the athletes’ struggles through unexpected angles, while the latter half, with its bold colors and exquisite composition, depicts their unique flow state. Each athlete has their own distinctive ‘flow color,’ which resonates with those who have experienced flow while inspiring curiosity in those who haven’t—encouraging them to try it out for themselves. That’s exactly what we wanted to achieve. The MV combines modern rock music with elements of traditional Chinese Kunqu and Peking opera, creating a cross-era musical dialogue,” added Zhang.
The music video was released during the Paris Olympics, airing across Chinese social media and television platforms, where it amassed over a billion views.
Credits
Director: Jody Xiong
Creative Agency: Karma Shanghai
Chief Creative Officer: Kama Zhang
Production Company: Chosen
Director of Photography: Guo Yonghong
Art Director: Jody Xiong
Lighting Designer: Xue Zhiqiang, Sun Mingchuan
Props: Li Jie / CG: Senvision lab
Deputy Photographer: Feng Liang, A Liang
Animation Visual Effects: Liu Junhao
Director’s Secretary: Wang Qijing
Editor: Wang Yu Studio
Online: Chosen
Color Grading Studio: Zhang Yingjie Studio
Music Composer: Syn China
Casting: Zhao Yipei
Font Design: Liang Jia
Aerial Photography: Xiao Guo
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