Heatball Fight

Selling warmth in the Nordic region is a unique creative challenge. For consumers in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland, warmth is not simply a product benefit. It is already deeply embedded in everyday life, from cozy family gatherings to cultural ideas such as hygge—the feeling of comfort, connection and wellbeing. For heating brands, the challenge is no longer only about communicating temperature, efficiency or technology. It is about creating an emotional reason for consumers to choose one brand over another.

Midea, a global home appliance brand, has long built its winter communication around the platform "Share the Warmth." For its latest Nordic winter campaign, the brand wanted to explore a new question: how can warmth become something people experience, remember and share, rather than simply something they receive? The answer was to transform warmth from an invisible product benefit into a playful family experience. The film premiered at IFA Berlin 2026 as part of Midea's global brand communication.

The film draws inspiration from the tradition of Nordic fairy tales, where ordinary worlds can suddenly become filled with imagination. However, the storytelling avoids exaggerated fantasy. Instead, it creates contrast between extraordinary events and natural human reactions. The family never behaves as if something impossible has happened. They simply continue playing. A Heatball transforms the living room into a tropical environment, but the family responds with the calm curiosity of everyday life. This balance between fantasy and realism creates the film's distinctive tone: magical, but grounded; imaginative, but emotionally believable.

Adams Fan, Chief Creative Officer of F5 Shanghai, approached the film by combining a childlike sense of wonder with Nordic visual restraint. "The challenge was creating something magical while keeping the family completely authentic. The fantasy works because the emotions remain real, the relationship between the family members is always at the center," he said.

"Warmth is a familiar emotional territory, especially in Nordic culture. Traditional expressions of warmth often rely on recognizable symbols: fireplaces, blankets, candles, hot drinks and quiet family moments. While these images feel authentic, they have also become increasingly expected within the category. The strategic challenge was to find a fresher way to make warmth distinctive. We explored the meaning behind 'Share the Warmth.' Instead of treating warmth as an atmosphere, we asked: what if warmth was something people could physically share? This shift changed the role of warmth from a passive feeling into an active experience. Rather than simply showing a warm home, we showed how warmth could create moments of connection, imagination and play between family members. This approach allowed Midea's product benefit to move beyond function and become part of a larger emotional story," said Jimyi Xu, Global Marketing Director of F5 Shanghai.

The central creative idea was the Heatball, a visual representation of the warmth generated by Midea's heating products. The Heatball transforms an invisible benefit into something tangible. It can be held, passed between family members and used as the starting point for a magical game. The film begins when a snowstorm prevents two children from having the outdoor snowball fight they planned. Their father discovers a glowing Heatball coming from the Midea heating system and turns the unexpected weather into a new opportunity for fun. Soon, the entire family joins in. Heatballs are collected from different Midea heating products throughout the home, turning a traditional snowball fight into an indoor "warmth battle." As the Heatballs move through the house, ordinary moments become extraordinary: a plant transforms into a tropical garden, an aquarium becomes a colorful underwater world, Christmas lights turn into fireflies, and even the sun escapes from a painting and enters the room. The creative idea connects different product categories through one simple symbol, and shows that every product shares the same purpose: bringing warmth into people's lives.

"For us, warmth is not only about creating the right temperature. It is about creating meaningful moments in people's everyday lives. With 'Heatball Fight,' we wanted to express our brand idea of 'Share the Warmth' in a way that feels emotional, memorable and relevant to Nordic families. The campaign shows that our products are not only part of the home environment; they can become part of the experiences and connections people create together," said Renee Huang, European Marketing Director, Midea Residential Air Conditioning.

"Participating in the 'Share the Warmth' campaign means much more to us than promoting a product. It is an initiative that highlights the importance of family relationships, togetherness, and spending quality time with loved ones. Through the comfort and functionality our solutions provide, these everyday moments can become even more meaningful. The campaign reflects our commitment to responsible business, combining commercial objectives with the promotion of positive social values and stronger human connections," said Magdalena Rozmiarek, Chief Executive Officer, KLIMA-THERMAB, Sweden