Direct > Data
DENTSU, Tokyo / PANASONIC / 2016
Overview
Credits
CampaignDescription
The Japanese idiom, ishin-denshin, expresses a form of interpersonal communications through unspoken, mutual understanding. Compared to other cultures, Japanese people rarely use words to express gratitude or love. This tendency has increased as more families spend less time together. Our survey found 84.7% of Japanese people have never told family members, “I love you.” Reasons included, "not used to saying it," "too shy to say it," and "(We've been together so long) my love for them is implicit, so they know so without hearing the words." However, one in two respondents actually wanted to "express their love in words." Panasonic focused on how expressing love affects the body by measuring changes in body temperature produced by verbal expressions of love.
Execution
Six families participated in this experiment. One member from each family knowingly took part and surprised the others by reading out a letter expressing their love. The interaction was measured using infrared thermography. And results showed a 0.8°C rise in body temperature on average. The experiment was released on video on day traditionally recognized as the coldest in Japan; upon release the video received widespread attention from media and influencers. A week later, we measured the effects of the video, and used this attention for further promotions. Online media exposure included social network comments by Asia's most popular YouTubers, celebrities, athletes and business people, garnering even broader media attention. To generate greater buzz, Panasonic posted messages from family members who had participated in the experiment every day for the week up to Valentine's Day.
Outcome
67.3% of the video’s watchers felt they wanted to express their love to family members and 26.0% actually did. Average visitor time on the product website rose 244%. The project increased Panasonic's brand image 13.3% (originally, 73% of consumers had a positive image). Interests in purchasing Panasonic air conditioning units rose 21.6%. Panasonic plans to present these results at an academic conference in May 2016. The video has reached 8 million views in its first month (SNS shares included). Total media exposure reached 355, with media 253,536,209 impressions. These results were featured on Taiwanese and European TV. Clinical nutrition specialist, Professor Fumiko Takao, in the Department of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Clinical Nutrition at Hiroshima International University described the project as a "meaningful experiment." A municipal employee publically expressed her gratitude to her colleagues. The project sparked a social phenomenon.
Relevancy
This work created a new value that "expressing love is meaningful" and made people change their behaviors.
This video posted on the coldest day of the season in Japan changed people's conception, which led to behavioral changes and warmed up the country.
Strategy
The experiment showed body temperature rose an average 0.8°C. In 2016, this first-of-its-kind experiment was made into a documentary video and uploaded to YouTube on the day traditionally recognized as the coldest in Japan, January 21. Our PR team distributed press releases to all mainstream media announcing the video’s release. It was the perfect day for expressing love, as families and couples yearned for bodily warmth. We also launched a campaign to express your love to family members on February 14, Valentine's Day, the most relevant day to the expression of love. The campaign prompted many people to actively express their love. This campaign targeted men and women in their late 20s - early 40s, the core buyers of air conditioning units.
Synopsis
Dual income families increased roughly twofold from 6.14 million households in 1980 to 10.77 million in 2014, reducing time spent with family members. This led to a decrease in family communications. More families experienced less interaction (20% spent less than two days per week together—including weekends/holidays). Panasonic had been running its campaign to enhance people's everyday lives since January 2015. As a manufacturer of smart home appliances, including the X-series air conditioner brand. Beyond providing a more comfortable living environment, the company felt the need to warm and enhance relationships between family members and couples as its brand mission. We launched a campaign offering a new value air-conditioner that warms relationships between people, as well as bodies, enhancing family relations.
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