In 2009 Onitsuka Tiger celebrate their 60th anniversary. In Japanese culture, turning 60 is not just any birthday – it is an event of major significance that is laden with symbolism and honour. It is a celebration of having lived a complete 60-year ‘Cycle of Life’. According to the Japanese Zodiac, twelve animal signs combined with five ruling elements create a 60-year cycle.On a tiny global budget, Onitsuka Tiger’s 2009 brand campaign had to announce and celebrate its 60th anniversary, building on their successful ‘Made of Japan’ brand strategy, across a range of media throughout the year.

We created a one-metre sneaker-island diorama depicting the landscape of Japan. Modelmakers miniaturized everything, from Hokkaido’s ice sculptures to volcanic Miyamakirishima flowers. This became the set for our epic race animation. Designed in 2D and built in 3D, animators then developed the animals according to their Zodiac characteristics.The animated film was created using a range of diverse techniques, from traditional handcrafted prop-building to highly polished CGI. A unique blend of stop-motion, 3D animation, motion control and mangaesque cell animation brought the epic story of the Zodiac race to life.

To generate buzz around the brand before launch, an animated trailer and ‘making of’ film, drove traffic to onitsukatiger.com. In the UK alone, the website saw a 436% increase in visitors and people stayed on-site nearly twice as long as before the animation launched.Despite severe budget limitations, and within just two months of a planned yearlong campaign, the animation has generated a positive response all over the globe, featuring in hundreds of websites, blogs and press articles. Initial client reports indicate pre-sales of Onitsuka Tiger Autumn-Winter 2009 footwear and apparel collection have soared.