KUMAMOTO PREFECTURAL GOVERNMENT: WHERE ARE MY CHEEKS?!

Credits & Description:

CLIENT KUMAMOTO PREFECTURAL GOVERNMENT
PRODUCT LOCAL GOVERNMENT
ENTRANT DENTSU PUBLIC RELATIONS TOKYO, JAPAN
TYPE OF ENTRY PRACTICES & SPECIALISMS
CATEGORY BRAND VOICE (INCL. STRATEGIC STORYTELLING)
TITLE WHERE ARE MY CHEEKS?!
PRODUCT/SERVICE LOCAL GOVERNMENT
ADVERTISING AGENCY : DENTSU KYUSHU FUKUOKA, JAPAN
PR AGENCY : DENTSU PUBLIC RELATIONS TOKYO, JAPAN
PRODUCTION COMPANY : VIDEO STATION Q FUKUOKA, JAPAN
ENTRANT COMPANY : DENTSU PUBLIC RELATIONS TOKYO, JAPAN
TAKAO ITO DENTSU KYUSHU INC. CREATIVE DIRECTOR
MASAHIRO WAKUDA DENTSU KYUSHU INC. CREATIVE DIRECTOR
JUNPEI KAMEI DENTSU KYUSHU INC. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
MINORU OKADA DENTSU KYUSHU INC. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
TAKATSUGU SHINDO DENTSU KYUSHU INC. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
TADASHI INOKUCHI DENTSU PUBLIC RELATIONS INC. CHIEF PR PLANNER
YOHEI NEMOTO DENTSU PUBLIC RELATIONS INC. PR PLANNER
KENTA ARAI DENTSU PUBLIC RELATIONS INC. WEB PROMOTER
TOMIYUKI SHIMODA HOP ART DIRECTOR
JUNICHI INOUE VSQ PRODUCER
KUMIKO ESAKI VSQ PRODUCTION MANAGER
KENU NOMURA VSQ FILM DIRECTOR
SHINGO TABATA PHOTOGRAPHER
MINAMI HARADA DESIGNER
MIHO NOMURA DESIGNER
RINA FURUE DESIGNER
NAO FUJISHIMA BUZHOOK INC. WEB PLANNER
YUSUKE SUGIYAMA BUZHOOK INC. WEB PLANNER
TAMI SHIBATA BUZHOOK INC. WEB PLANNER
MAYA FUKUDA DENTSU INC. CREATIVE SUPERVISOR
Describe the campaign/entry:
Little known among Japanese was the fact that Kumamoto in Kyushu, western Japan, is one of the country’s richest agricultural regions. Most were unaware that the prefecture is a top source of tomatoes, the nation’s favorite vegetable, and recent efforts by prefectural authorities to brand Kumamoto the “red prefecture” -- highlighting the various red-colored foods it produced -- had been unsuccessful. Only 16.5% of the public had made the connection that Kumamoto-equals-red. The agency stepped in to assist, devising a campaign centered on Kumamoto’s mascot ‘Kumamon’, its cute bear-like character extremely popular throughout Japan and whose red cheeks represent Kumamoto’s red produce. The plan was to attract widespread media and public attention by creating an “incident”. In October 2013, an announcement was made that Kumamon had "lost” his characteristic red cheeks and that a nationwide search was being launched to find them. Extensive coverage in mainstream and online media produced an enthusiastic public response, with thousands Tweeting claiming to have “found the cheeks”. Three days into the search, Kumamon’s cheeks were declared found, and the true purpose of the episode – to promote Kumamoto as a “red” food-producing region – was revealed. The Kumamoto-means-delicious-red-food connection was made by linking Kumamon’s lost cheeks with the well-known Japanese saying that eating something tasty makes your “cheeks fall off”. Full-year sales of Kumamon-branded foods in 2013 increased 10% from 2012, even though the campaign was only launched in the year’s last quarter.
Describe the brief from the client:
The campaign aimed to promote Kumamoto as a major agricultural food-producing region, especially of red-colored food such as tomatoes, and in the process encourage consumers to link the prefecture’s name with the color red. Raising the level of public awareness about Kumamoto’s prominence as a food-producing region would prompt sales of the prefecture’s produce to rise in turn, the organizers hoped. This would benefit the area financially, in particular its citizens involved in agriculture. In addition, the increased media attention on Kumamoto would lift the morale and pride of the local population, the prefecture believed.
Results:
The incident of Kumamon’s missing cheeks, and their subsequent discovery, earned Kumamoto wide exposure in the media as a food-producing region, with 23 TV shows, 30 newspapers articles and over 400 websites running the story. This led to a 10% year-on-year increase in Kumamon-branded food sales in 2013, even though the campaign was only executed in the year’s final quarter. The “Thank you tomato” initiative, a lottery held for 100 special boxes of Kumamoto tomatoes, also attracted widespread media and public attention, with over 10,000 applications received. And whereas in 2012 the public had mostly associated the color green with the prefecture, by 2013 red was firmly established as its No.1 brand image color. Kumamoto’s top daily newspaper Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun wrote in a November 9 article, “this unique PR campaign focusing on Kumamon’s missing cheeks is a success” and the people of Kumamoto recognized the local government’s PR efforts.
Execution:
Leveraging the Japanese saying delicious foods make your cheeks drop, the agency created a story that Kumamon had lost his cheeks after enjoying Kumamoto’s tasty foods. In the campaign’s initial phase however, no link was overtly drawn between the saying and the mystery. As the tale of Kumamon’s lost cheeks was presented to the media, posters were distributed in busy shopping areas in Tokyo appealing for public assistance with the search. Over subsequent days, Kumamon appeared at public events and on TV without his cheeks, adding to the story’s momentum. Furthermore, social media sites were fully utilized, with a cheek-less Kumamon replacing the character’s usual Twitter and Facebook profiles; regular search updates, including photos, were posted. Once the cheeks were “found” and the episode’s true aim revealed, the campaign message was actively promoted through news and entertainment media. A smartphone game and picture book, both specially created, lent fun support.
The Situation:
Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture is a rich agricultural region where a wide range of fruits and vegetables are grown. In particular, Kumamoto produces many kinds of red-colored food, including tomatoes, strawberries, water melons and beef. The prefectural authorities had endeavored to brand Kumamoto as the “red prefecture”, not only for its red produce but also because Japanese associate red with the positive qualities of leadership, hospitality and passion. However, as of January, 2013, only 16.5% of Japanese had connected Kumamoto with the color red. What’s more, the region’s status as a top food producer was not widely known.
The Strategy:
To grasp the public’s immediate attention, an incident was created involving Kumamoto’s popular mascot Kumamon and the mysterious disappearance of the cute character’s trademark rosy red cheeks. In addition to utilizing Kumamon’s “celebrity” power, the unusual and interesting nature of the story would help to garner widespread exposure via mainstream and online news media as well as social media. By encouraging the public to assist in the search for the missing cheeks, consumers would feel more invested in its outcome. Once the public’s attention was firmly fixed on the story, the campaign’s underlying purpose would then be divulged, and the link between Kumamon’s missing cheeks and the delicious red food of Kumamoto would be driven home. In this way, the campaign slogan of “Red, delicious Kumamoto prefecture” would reach the largest possible audience and be retained in the nation’s collective memory, resulting in a stronger identity for the region.