At the 18th ROI Festival awards gala, Dentsu Creative China was named 2025 Digital Creative Agency of the Year and won one Gold, two Silver and two Bronze awards, with three additional entries reaching the finals.
STAGE MOMENT: CINDY LEE, EAST CHINA CEO OF DENTSU CREATIVE, AND THE TEAM ACCEPT AGENCY OF THE YEAR
This latest accolade extends a legacy of excellence — Digital Creative Agency of the Year (2017, 2019), Digital Media Agency of the Year (2018), and Grand Prix wins in Outdoor (2019), Television (2022) and Omnichannel Media Integration (2024). Through its work, Dentsu Creative continues to document the industry’s changes, as recognized by the ROI Awards.
Culturally inspired and business‑driven, Dentsu Creative serves as an integrated growth partner to clients—crafting video content, mining big data for creative insight, building practical AI solutions, and delivering purpose‑led PR and sustainability initiatives that drive measurable, human‑centered impact in an algorithmic age.
DETECTIVE JIA
ADVERTISER/BRAND: INTEL
CREATIVE AGENCY: DENTSU CREATIVE
GOLD: VIDEO CREATIVITY
BRONZE: INTEGRATED AI INNOVATION
When everyone vies for a sliver of attention, how do you make yours matter?
With the rise of short video platforms and creator economy, personalized algorithmic feeds mean every phone shows a different world. So Intel decided: why not make every user their own ad — and serve it exactly to their tastes?
Intel invited director Da Peng to helm, and popular actor Jia Bing to star, in an AI‑customized, multi‑ending short film, “Detective Jia.” One plot spawns 24 different endings. Starting from a mysterious disappearance, the story branches into suspense, comedy, warmth, sci‑fi, and thriller arcs depending on viewers’ personality tags. Mystery fans see layered identity puzzles; those who prefer heart‑felt drama get unexpected tearjerkers; sci‑fi lovers encounter brain‑teasing aliens and parallel universes.
To deepen engagement, Intel launched the WeChat mini‑program “Jia’s Agency,” using AI face‑swap tech to let millions share the screen with Jia Bing in their own bespoke endings — bringing cutting‑edge tech into everyday play. We also turned the AI production process into three behind‑the‑scenes featurettes, pushing the tech from backstage into the spotlight through the director’s lens.
From script to production, from on‑camera to behind‑the‑scenes, the AI‑powered PC played a deep, hands‑on role across the creative process. Its distinctive storytelling approach delivers a fresh creative experience that fuses technology with entertainment.
FINGER LICKIN’ GOOD AND CLEAN
ADVERTISER/BRAND: YUM CHINA/KFC
CREATIVE AGENCY: DENTSU CREATIVE
BRONZE: OFFLINE PROMOTION
“Finger-Lickin’ Good” is KFC’s signature guarantee—but what if those fingers aren’t clean?
Beyond the crunch and flavor, KFC’s mission grows—to ensure finger-licking is pure pleasure, safe and sound.
Caring Hearts Meet Clean Hands with Safeguard. Across 3,000 stores, KFC reimagined family spaces as vibrant handwashing zones and rolled out 1 million co-branded chicken buckets. In partnership with P&G, KFC invites kids to wash their hands first, then dig in, turning every crispy bite into a joyful celebration of clean habits and finger-lickin’ good fun.
DIGITAL IBUPROFEN
ADVERTISER/BRAND: HALEON/FENBID
CREATIVE AGENCY: DENTSU CREATIVE
SILVER: BIG DATA CREATIVITY
In 2024, Fenbid responded by refreshing its portfolio, introducing targeted solutions for everything from migraines and toothaches to menstrual pain. The challenge: How could Fenbid show young people that relief is possible, and guide them to the right option from its expanded range?
Today, music has become more than entertainment—it’s a trusted ally for pain management among young people. Streaming platforms overflow with user-created playlists designed specifically to ease pain and tension.
By fusing music and technology, Fenbid launched "Digital Ibuprofen," turning pain relief into an emotional musical journey. Fenbid’s care reached the mountains, where the brand sponsored rural teacher Gu Ya and his 350 students’ Haiga Rock Band to stage the “Dream Concert in the Mountains.” Their hopeful music, live-streamed and shared on social media, carried Fenbid’s message of healing far and wide.
MONOPOLY FRIED CHICKEN
ADVERTISER/BRAND: YUM CHINA/KFC
CREATIVE AGENCY: DENTSU CREATIVE
FINALIST: INTEGRATED CREATIVITY
Property ownership has long been a cultural aspiration in China, but rising real estate prices have left many young people locked out. Leveraging this insight, KFC reimagined dining as a playful journey of ownership—inviting customers to become “stakeholders” in their own fried chicken business.
Partnering with Monopoly, the classic economics-themed board game, KFC launched the first annual Fried Chicken Tycoon Festival 2024. The campaign featured a custom money-spitting machine, Monopoly-inspired gift boxes, and exclusive tokens redesigned with KFC’s brand spirit. Classic Monopoly properties became KFC stores, blending gameplay with the dining experience.
As diners enjoyed their meals, they engaged in Monopoly-style games, experiencing the thrill of acquisition and connection. Dining was transformed into an immersive adventure.
The results were extraordinary: in just two weeks, 20 million collaborative buckets sold, setting a new KFC sales record. Hasbro recognized the campaign’s creative ingenuity with the 2024 Product Innovation Award.
MASTER KONG FLAVOR PAVILION
ADVERTISER/BRAND: MASTER KONG
PR COMMUNICATIONS: DENTSU PR CONSULTING (DENTSU CREATIVE)
FINALIST: ANNUAL IMC CAMPAIGN
Master Kong has launched China’s first interactive culinary education hub — the Flavor Pavilion — an immersive space that gives teenagers hands‑on encounters with instant noodles’ flavors, cultural roots, technological evolution and social impact, sparking curiosity and pride in Chinese food heritage.
Guided by “Deliciousness · Co‑creation · Future,” the brand — a household name across generations — aims to reshape how youths see instant noodles: not just quick food, but a nutritious, creative, and culturally rooted choice that connects generations.
ABOUT ROI AWARDS
Launched in Shanghai in 2008, the ROI Awards pioneered the concept of “Business Creativity,” celebrating ideas that deliver measurable commercial returns from modest budgets. In 2025 the competition attracted 943 companies submitting 2,420 entries; 369 companies with 484 works were shortlisted as finalists. This year’s theme, “Unleashing AI Creativity,” drew nearly 200 AI‑driven submissions.
www.roifestival.com
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