Amidst the many consumer ads endlessly flowing from the plasma screens in grocery stores across the country, one stands out for its interesting message. The ad is for Hearttex (心相印) napkins.
It features a teacher who takes a group of preschool students to the beach. She points across out at sea and says, “On the other side of this sea is our treasured island, Taiwan.” The preschoolers then take out their Hearttex napkins, dip them in the water, then ring them out on the dry sand saying, “We are going to soak the sea dry. That way, little friends in Taiwan can come over and play!”
The commercial has been running for some time now on television as well as the supermarket plasma screens. Sticking your brand on a hot political issue and sanitizing it with cute children: could this be a foolproof advertising formula for China?
The Hearttex brand is owned by Hengan International Group (恒安集团) a Hong Kong invested firm based in Jinjiang, Fujian province. Jinjiang city is on the coast of the Taiwan strait.