Advertiser: CHARITY/SANRIKU RAILWAYS
Agency: ADK JAPAN
Category: Charities
Advertising campaign: THE LET'S HOLD HANDS TRAIN PROJECT
Creative Director: Junichi Tanaka (ADK)
Art Director: Yasuyuki Ikeda
Illustrator: 49 World Famous Cartoon Character Illustrators
Copywriter: Junichi Tanaka (ADK)
Executive Creative Director: Tsuneo Goda
Relevancy
To convey the message that the world is continuing to think about Tohoku, the team came up with an idea to create a 'Let’s hold hands' Train. Negotiations were held for characters from all over the world to be painted on this train that would run through the devastated areas. This would be the world’s first character version of We are the World. A year from the Earthquake, the hardest hit Sanriku Railways in Iwate was partially resumed. And this was the timing that the characters also would start their move to show Tohoku, they are holding hands for them.
Outcome
The Let’s Hold Hands Train was made possible through the creative industry holding hands together. Copyright owners and licensing companies for 49 famous characters from 9 countries agreed to provide usage free of charge. The agency, production company, and all those involved also volunteered their services to bring smiles to the Tohoku people. Passengers for Sanriku Railways increased 138% from the previous year, people gathered from all over Japan to see this one and only train, and nationwide TV stations and tweets of people spread the story.
Client Brief Or Objective
A year after the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake, the Japanese were starting to forget about the devastated Tohoku region. There were increasing cases of refusal to accept tsunami rubble, a heavy drop in volunteers, and even cruelty toward evacuees. We were forgetting about the determination to support Tohoku.
Implementation
Our challenge was to remind people that Tohoku still needs our support, to resurrect the feeling to want to connect with them, and to show that the world is standing behind them.