Wacoal: SOCIAL MARATHON IN KYOTO

Credits & Description:

Advertiser: WACOAL
Agency: DENTSU
Category: Social Media & Viral Marketing
Advertising campaign: SOCIAL MARATHON IN KYOTO
Designer: Kenji Takamatsu
Account Manager: Masahiro Amano (Dentsu Inc.)
Photographer: Masahiro Miyakawa (Dentsu Inc.)
Creative Director: George Sugitomo (Dentsu Inc.)
Planner: Yoshiaki Shiota (Dentsu Inc.)
Front Engineer: Yusuke Hosoda
Producer: Naoki Mori (Dentsu Inc.)
Public Relations Planner: Naoya Nagatake (Dentsu Tec Inc.)
Tec Producer: Naru Kudo (Dentsu Tec Inc.)
Event Producer: Takashi Okada
Event Producer: Tsuyoshi Kobayashi (Dentsu Event Operations Inc.)
Tec Web Producer: Yoshio Murakami (Dentsu Tec Inc.)
Project Manager: Ko Yoshida
Copywriter: Nao Otani (Dentsu Inc.)
Designer: Robert Eisermann
Front Engineer: Toru Kanazawa
Tec Web Producer: Yuuma Sasamoto (Dentsu Tec Inc.)
Technical Director: Hajime Kuwashima (iret)
Photographer: Masayuki Kudo (Dentsu Tec Inc.)
Art Director: Toshiaki Fukui (Dentsu Inc.)

Execution
CW-X wanted to launch their brand in Kyoto, but to just inform the runners about their product line was not enough, where there were so many other rival brands competing. So we created a new free communication tool that was designed directly for marathon lovers and for their friends, SOCIAL_MARATHON in KYOTO, to post and share your real-split-time, and to get real-time feedback cheering. Through this new platform everybody could tell CW-X is not only just a running wear brand, but has a big heart to support all marathon lovers. Marathon is no longer a solitary individual sport, because of CW-X.

Outcome
1,837 runners participated.8,522 digital SNS messages gathered, from far away cities like Tokyo and even New York.Transforming into traditional analogue cheers, filling the ancient Kyoto city with beautiful powerful calligraphy.All in real time. Creating a completely new way of running a marathon.Raving comments were posted on SNS, from both the runners and the cheering family and friends, bringing a stronger CW-X brand engagement to all.All runners were amazed with the new running experience, and wanted to try again. CW-X sold US$900,000 worth of running wear at the Kyoto marathon booth in a day alone.

Implementation
Create a new social platform for marathon runners. Link your Facebook or Twitter account to a RFID chip, by entering your goal time at the special site before the race. The runners’ time was automatically posted on to their SNS every 10km, from start to finish, showing the difference between your real time and goal time. Friends could cheer back from the SNS posts, which were re-written in a traditional way, onto Japanese paper and ink. The hand written cheers were posted on to shrines, temples throughout Kyoto. The free platform was designed for all runners who enjoy sharing their marathon experience.

Client Brief Or Objective
CW-X is a running wear apparel brand. They were well known in Tokyo, the eastern side of Japan. But not as much in Kyoto, the western side. CW-X wanted to connect and sell the brand with the runners in Kyoto, starting from KYOTO MARATHON 2013 in a new way. The strategy was not to just sell CW-X products, but to engage with the marathon runners in a new way.