This commercial tells a story of the power of hope in addressing social issues. As a Tokyo elementary school faced closure in 2014 due to declining birth rates, the principal was looking for a dream project that could bring the students together. We were inspired to partner with them. The school set out to create new Guinness World Record for longest plastic toy train rail, with a toy train travelling the whole track on the power of a single household battery. Beyond the promotion of a battery, this commercial celebrates the power 41 children generated to honor their beloved school.

Panasonic launched a challenge to set a new Guinness World Record for the longest toy train tracks travelled on a single household battery. To make it happen, we partnered with some avid toy users—the 41 students of a Tokyo elementary school. In the face of declining birth rates in Japan’s aging society; the school was scheduled to close in the spring of 2014. The teachers wanted the kids to experience a great triumph and honor their school. Showcasing their success in TV commercials and social media, we promoted the product while celebrating the kids’ success.

The challenge was streamed to the Internet and viewed by some 11,000 people on USTREAM. The kids’ success in setting a new Guinness World Record generated broad coverage throughout the media, including popular TV programs, newspapers, and websites. YouTube page views exceeded 200,000, and a survey of 500 viewers of the TV commercial showed a 91.2% approval rating. Some USD 2 million in publicity was generated. EVOLTA sales jumped 14% over the previous year. Integrating publicity advertising and social media promotion to optimise impact, we were able to achieve increased product sales and build brand value.