Media > Use of Media

ANIMATE YOURSELF

HAKUHODO DY MEDIA PARTNERS, Tokyo / TOEI COMPANY / 2009

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Overview

Credits

OVERVIEW

Effectiveness

We staged our promotion in Dotonbori, Osaka's liveliest shopping area. During the campaigning period, 500,000 people participated in the promotion. Many of them photographed themselves as Kitaro and e-mailed their pictures and videos to friends or uploaded them to blogs and video sites. The incredible viral effect was multiplied many times over once the promotion received nationwide coverage on television programs, newspapers, and magazines. The movie was a smash hit. The entire campaign, cost the client only 1.5 million yen.

Execution

"I want to star in a movie!" That's a thought nearly everyone has had at one time or another: Our idea tapped into this desire. We built a video monitor system that, if you stood in front of the monitor, dressed you in Kitaro's distinctive hairstyle and clothes. Like a digital cutout, you become a live Kitaro. Right away, a character from the movie calls you: "Hey you, Kitaro!" Then, you're swept into the movie. With Japan's cutting-edge face recognition technology, we commercialized its use in interactive digital signage. Effective outdoor advertising stops and engages people. Our Kitaro ad worked by making people want to stop and join the fun. Even more, by becoming part of the ad, they developed strong sympathy toward Kitaro.

Strategy

Every Japanese knows the animated character Kitaro. With his eye-popping hairstyle and costume, Kitaro has brought joy to kids of all of ages for 40 years. To celebrate his 40th anniversary, our client planned to produce a feature length movie. Our job was to promote the film's release. Osaka appears in the movie, so we staged our main promotion there. Famous for its frenetic pace of business, Osaka is cluttered with advertising, which has thus become less effective. So rather than push another ad at wary passersby, we aimed to create advertising that would pull people to it with the promise of fun and play. We based our idea on the old circus attraction of a cutout body that people insert their face into and have their photo taken - an attraction Japanese people have a particular fondness toward.

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