Though Epson is a strong name in home-use printers, their presence is relatively weak for industry use. This advertising campaign featured several goals, one of which was to increase Epson’s presence in the professional-use market. This required nothing less than a major change in the communication target’s perception. By directly targeting the leaders in advertising production in Japan, Epson was able to evolve its image considerably.The immediate communication goal was to initiate contact with a completely untapped market for the client. Ultimately, this contact should pave the way for an Epson sales representative to make their pitch. Regarding the communication goals, this advertising was exceptional. Sales agreements were reached with all of the companies targeted. Sales representatives reported active inquiries on the part of personnel in purchasing, as well as end-users within the target companies. Sales were made in record time, requiring only a visit or two, compared to the typical two to four weeks of meetings. Unlike many solutions we hear about nowadays, our solution actually solved a problem. Epson wanted to communicate that their printers were good enough for professional use in an attempt to tap a new market. They insisted on focusing their communication on the big three advertising production houses in Japan. Epson lacked the budget and the image needed to carry such an out-of-character message to a group so difficult to impress.The message is straightforward: Epson printers are a higher level. The true force of this advertisement is the combination of the creative media space and the newly developed media. The advertisement makes ideal use of virgin space, the dead space inside an elevator, to effectively communicate its message.Creative media planning identified the elevators as the most effective place to capture its audience, so to speak. With permission from the building manager, the newly developed talking media changes the passive environment of the elevator into an interactive, participatory space. This creative and complementary use of media and space achieved a 100% reach rate for a highly focused target and successfully initiated a change in their perception. The success of this campaign is best measured in terms of its ability to influence the perception of the target, leading to increased sales in a new market, all with a budget that isn’t fair to print.The newly developed media uses inertia and basic mechanics to react to the movement of an elevator, changing its message depending on direction. As the elevator rises, the message reads, “Higher Level Epson Printers”. And as it descends, the message changes to “Lower Level Life Without Epson”. The media attracts further attention to itself by calling out a variety of recorded messages, in a comical voice. Eight different advertisements were rotated between elevators to enhance impact and create a sense of expectation. Epson wanted to approach the big three advertising production houses in Japan—Dentsu Tec for TV and print; Tohoku Shinsha for TV; and Taki for print—prior to release of their newest high-level inkjet printer. The goal was to initiate contact and lay the foundation for a sales call.Immediately, we threw out the possibility of using a DM or flyer. We knew we had to achieve focused accuracy, but such a media eluded us. The limited media budget also presented considerable challenges.Then it hit us. Why not bring the advertisement directly to the people it’s targeting? In an instant, we had discovered our media space—the elevators in the offices of the big three—and began developing the creative to communicate the message. After identifying our media space, the elevators at the offices of the big three production houses in Japan, we needed to devise a sufficiently effective means to communicate our message. Aware that the target is comprised solely of advertising professionals, we knew we had to come up with something special.We developed a new media: the talking media (patents pending). A clever application of basic mechanics, our new media is able to detect the motion of an elevator and change its message accordingly. We added a recorded message to attract attention and maximize impact. (The audio message is synchronized with the chime of the elevator to add an element of surprise.) As a result, our message converts an elevator into an effective media space and some basic mechanics into a new, highly effective media.Our idea achieved an amazing 100% reach, and managed to influence a target group that is highly cynical about advertising, the very people that make the ads.

Epson wanted to approach the big three advertising production houses in Japan—Dentsu Tec for TV and print; Tohoku Shinsha for TV; and Taki for print—prior to release of their newest high-level inkjet printer. The goal was to initiate contact and lay the foundation for a sales call.Immediately, we threw out the possibility of using a DM or flyer. We knew we had to achieve focused accuracy, but such a media eluded us. The limited media budget also presented considerable challenges.Then it hit us. Why not bring the advertisement directly to the people it’s targeting? In an instant, we had discovered our media space—the elevators in the offices of the big three—and began developing the creative to communicate the message.