Cannes Lions
HAKUHODO CREATIVE VOX, Tokyo / ASCII / 2004
Overview
Entries
Credits
Execution
We created unique characters that looked and acted so bizarre that they would create a commotion simply by walking down the street. Actors dressed as these characters walked around our target hotspots reading Weekly Ascii, with the aim of being photographed by as many people as possible. The photos would then be emailed or otherwise shown to friends, thus spreading the promotion to people who did not come in actual contact with it.
Outcome
There was no media fee. Total cost for the promotion was approximately U.S.$1400. During the one-day promotion, approximately 10,000 people photographed the Weekly Ascii characters. We estimate 2-3 times that many people saw the emailed images. In areas where the promotion was held, magazine sales increased about 20%.