GWM Ditches Adventure Tropes for Utility-First Ute Campaign
GWM and Thinkerbell abandon traditional adventure tropes for practical messaging in Australia/NZ ute market. A shift reflecting Chinese brands' adaptation to Western markets.
Chinese automaker GWM has launched a campaign for its Cannon and Cannon Alpha utes that abandons traditional adventure-focused advertising in favor of practical, utility-driven messaging. The "More Can Do" platform, developed with creative agency Thinkerbell, targets Australian and New Zealand markets.
Campaign Focuses on Practical Capability
The campaign deliberately moves away from typical ute marketing imagery that showcases beach holidays and outdoor escapism. Instead, it highlights the vehicles' real-world usefulness and reliability in everyday situations.
"The category keeps telling Kiwis and Aussies that strength looks like escape, but the truth is, strength is about being relied on," said Sean McNicholas, Thinkerbell's head tinker. "About being actually useful when it counts. This platform puts that utility back in you via our utes."
The campaign launches nationally with a 45-second film, 15-second variants, and creative content for retail and brand channels. It operates under GWM's broader "Go With More" brand promise.
Breaking Category Conventions
Steve Maciver, GWM Australia and New Zealand's head of marketing, said the shift reflects a deliberate repositioning of how strength is portrayed in the ute category. "With the Cannon range, we're shifting the focus back to usefulness, to what these vehicles actually enable people to do," he said.
Mission Media
McNicholas explained the tagline as a straightforward expression of the Cannon utes' core benefit: helping owners accomplish more tasks. "We wanted a no fuss, straight up way of saying this. 'More can do' was the right expression for this. It also taps into an Australian 'can do' attitude," he told Mumbrella.
Growing Partnership Between GWM and Thinkerbell
This marks the latest collaboration between GWM and Thinkerbell, following their initial partnership in February last year. The agency has launched multiple platforms for the automaker throughout the year, with campaigns in May, July, August, and October.
The campaign represents a broader trend of Chinese automotive brands adapting their communications strategies for Western markets, moving away from aspirational messaging toward more practical positioning that emphasizes functional benefits over lifestyle imagery.
Want to stay up-to-date on the stories shaping Asia's media, marketing, and comms industry? Subscribe to Mission Media for exclusive insights, campaign deep-dives, and actionable intel.
