‘mt’ masking tape is a derivative product came out of plain masking tape which is usually used in construction site. As it is made by Washi, it can be cut by hand easily and peeled off without any marks. Handicrafts lovers enjoy decorating their personal belongings and room interiors with it. ‘mt’s Manufacturer ‘Kamoi Kakoshi’, which holds the largest market share of plain Masking Tape, launched ‘mt’ as a sundries product in 2008 and more than 2000 kinds of tapes have been released since then. ‘mt’ masking tape sparked the Washi tape boom in Japan and it has been spreading overseas.

When we were commissioned designs for ‘mt’, we saw a great potential in it. Although ‘mt’ had broad utility, it would not be accepted by customers if it was not displayed in a comprehensible fashion. So, we presented our client to hold a promotional exhibition that customers can experience ‘mt’ fully and learn more about it.

Since the first exhibition in 2010, ‘mt’ has held many similar events at home and abroad, the sales of "mt" have increased constantly but we need to seek new methods of showing 'mt' all the time. So, we planned a unique exhibition ‘mt art project’ to introduce the new character. We invited tape-artists from overseas as well as from around Japan and have a special piece of work made for the exhibition by using ‘mt’. The exhibition traveled throughout Japan and was broadcasted live at each venue.

The exhibition is constructed with a popup shop and installations by tape-artists.

Each exhibition, we provide some limited edition tapes, that customers only buy at the site, to arouse their interest. We offered various opportunities to please customers and try to make a big appeal to them.

Every time we produce the exhibition, pay the most attention to the location. We collaborated with galleries, museums and abolished schools where we can use a large space.

We designed posters using a symbolic image of unity for the exhibitions and provided for each venue.

Collaborating with artists who usually use other tapes to express their art, we opened a lot of each other’s doors. At the same time, the audiences were stimulated by the new approach of ‘mt’, then led to increase the sale.

Real-time distribution of images succeeded in catching international attention and promoted sales growth.