It pioneers a new use of the Instagram medium and could be a new case in the age of influencers.

From storytelling to a narrative.

From a big story to a tiny story.

Nowadays, the focus is shifting from the stories that brands and corporations present to the stories that fans and influencers create of their connection and experience with the brand.

But what if their output doesn’t match the brand’s aesthetic?

Japan's most recognized tea brand, "Gogo no Kocha," solved this problem by hacking Instagram's UI.

Our mission was to create a space where it could share its story and information alongside narratives from fans and influencers.

There were some difficult challenges.

The national brand has a “Cute & Elegant” aesthetic, while the SNS posts from its extensive fan base are an eclectic mix of styles and tastes.

To bring it all together, we designed a bookshelf that matched the brand aesthetic “Cute & Elegant” and would add color to any tea time on Instagram. And we took the narratives(stories/novels/photos/recipes/experiences, etc.) the collaborators had made, taking inspiration from the brand, and turned them into content in the form of palm-sized books.

The platform-in-platform enabled collaboration without compromising each side's unique worldview.

By presenting the brand aesthetic with the bookshelf and the collaborators' styles within the books it holds.

In these times when beverage websites are not seen at all, we need to create many new contacts, and this measure is one step in that direction.

It was too popular a brand, and rather than having a fine segment, it was obvious that everyone knew about it, but everyone was indifferent, so we needed to enlist the help of influencers.

However, influencers are popular because they have their own worldview, but brands want to focus on the brand's worldview. Since all generations and segments are targeted, we solved this problem by hacking Instagram's UI to add an additional bookshelf platform to the platform.

Of course, we did not only use the Instagram timeline, but also communicated in real time using the book's content in Instagram stories.

Partnering with fans, creators, and influencers who are also skilled cooks, photographers, writers, flower artists, fashion designers, and nailists, the brand has emphasized a free flow of creativity and the co-creation of attractive books.

To date, the brand has produced books with over seventy-five fans, creators, and influencers.

Collaborator posts have also taken the books’ contents beyond the Instagram platform, effectively reaching a broad audience.

But wouldn’t the posts mess up the bookshelf layout, you ask?

By creating posts about a mercurial cat, which are removed after several days, the bookshelf’s three-grid layout is kept organized and intact.

(Please refer to the Case video.)

Three times as many engagements (saves, likes) as a regular Japanese corporate account.

Contributed to the improvement of Cumulative Sales Volume in the first half of 2023 to 104% of the previous year's level.

50,000 Followers

213,034 Likes