By filming and editing the ordinary activity of cleaning, we have created a universal message that will help people around the world recognize it as a source of peace of mind and contentment, and deliver this message in today's global context.

Because filming and production took place just before the outbreak and spread of COVID-19, it seemed like the timing was not right to release the original message. However, we thought that perhaps it was in just such a situation, in which the entire world had come to a standstill, that the ordinary activity of cleaning actually would be felt and recognized as important, and that this series of videos and photos would give people the strength to think about tomorrow.

The most significant creative idea is seeing the everyday act of cleaning as a source of universal happiness. The video and photos--all original-- were shot in a total of 108 locations in Germany, Turkey, Iran, China, and Japan. Each of the five commercial broadcast stations aired different 30-second videos. The videos contained no message other than the logo that appeared at the end. The music, like film scores, blended the joyful and the sorrowful, and we also made use of the ambient audio of the cleaning processes. We communicated MUJI’s ideology and vision by creating a universal question that viewers will experience and consider on their own, and disseminated it around the world. Although this project does not immediately impact product sales, we believe it’s steadily and substantially contributing to building a stronger relationship between MUJI and its customers. 

The target audience was regular people around the world. Although the TV ads were shown only in Japan, the website is produced in 17 languages for 31 countries (3 primary languages are available for each country), and the basic text of the book was translated into 17 languages. In addition, posters were displayed in 1,029 MUJI stores in 31 countries. Although this was also effective as an advertising campaign, in this situation, in which COVID-19 was sweeping the globe, it was MUJI’s overarching brand strategy to provide an opportunity for a great number of people to think about the question, “What is the source of peace of mind and contentment?” 

We developed this campaign in 1,029 MUJI stores in 31 countries. On five commercial broadcasters in Japan, five different 30-second videos were aired 5,900 times. On a dedicated website, which is in 17 languages for 31 countries (3 primary languages are available for each country), we provided five different 60-second videos as well as detailed footage of cleaning from those videos. We also published 8,000 copies of a 504-page book, Cleaning, in which the main messages were translated into 17 languages. 

Brand communication is about the collaborative cultivation of “the soil of the market” by the advertiser and its potential clientele together. There are no indices by which this can be measured, but we believe that in this case, substantial nutrients have been supplied, as represented by the accompanying data. The TV ads we launched in Japan reached 70% of the population, illustrating the quiet empathy and quality of the impact that was generated. 

Reach (as of February 19, 2021)

TV commercials: aired 5,900 times, reaching 70% of the Japanese population

Website: 277,458 views

YouTube: 162,616 views

Instagram: 6,664,719 views

Facebook: 1,178,481 views

Posters and large-scale visual displays: 31 countries: 479 stores in Japan, 550 stores overseas

Book, first printing: 8,000 copies