Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) wanted to target a new type of traveller, one more interested in spending longer and experiencing more of the unique cultural heritage that the city has to offer, beyond the neon lights and slot machines. 2023 also saw the return of the Art Macao festival - the premier art festival in the city - which takes over galleries, public spaces, resorts and more. MGTO was keen to anchor new content in the stories of the festival.

BBC StoryWorks therefore took the approach of targeting its travel and culture audiences with a vibrant array of content centred on art. Our objective was to change perceptions of Macao from glitz, glamour and gaming, to art, culture and cuisine - three themes that we identified would resonate well. BBC StoryWorks aimed to create emotive, authentic content that would form these new preconceptions in the minds of its viewers while celebrating the cultural depth the city has to offer.

A portrait of Macao is an advertisement feature, produced for Macao Government Tourism Office by BBC StoryWorks, that follows a local artist as he works to capture a lesser seen side to the city.

This human-centric branded video is about the topics of Art Macao, and art in Macao. To create an intimate portrayal of Macao, the campaign direction followed a personal point of view by following the story of an artist who draws inspiration from the ever-evolving city to "preserve its streets in time". There was a requirement to shoot six of the city’s integrated resorts, featuring their Art Macao exhibitions.

Using a multi-channel approach to the campaign, a 4-month promotional period was devised that would maintain strong momentum while also hitting important milestones in Macau’s calendar. Beyond the branded content film, the message was layered from initial teasers to in-depth long form content.

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