Google: AKB48/GOOGLE

Credits & Description:

Category: Media, Arts and Entertainment

Advertiser: GOOGLE

Product/Service: GOOGLE+

Agency: GROUND

Chief Creative Director: Satoshi Takamatsu (Ground Tokyo)

Producer: Yu Kimoto (Ground Tokyo)

Producer: Tatsuro Aono (Ground Tokyo)

Producer: Tatsuya Ishikawa (Ground Tokyo)

Media placement: online - google+ - 8 december



Summary of the Campaign

Google collaborated with AKB48, the Guinness World’s Record holder for the biggest pop group, to boost the number of users for their service, Google+. All 243 members of AKB48 started using the Google+ service at once to start sharing their activities. Various contents were created and shared between ABK48 and fans. Google+ became widely recognised across Japan very rapidly. The number of Google+ users in Japan has and continues to increase at unparalleled speed.



The Situation

Google+ is an online service offering a wide range of convenient functions, but it needed unique content only available on Google+ in order to get the users of SNSs such as Facebook and Twitter to register and become active.



The Goal

Boost the numbers of new Google+ users with attractive posts generated by celebrities.



The Strategy

The idea was to maximise the attractiveness of 'posts'.



We devised a way to provide attractive posts to Google+ on a daily basis and broke new ground by developing branded posts, made possible by a collaboration between the client, agency, and celebrities.



Even if the celebrity is very famous, you can’t generate much buzz if you only have 1 or 2 celebrities join Google+, and the buzz won’t last for a very long time.



We zoomed in on AKB48, a unique pop idol group comprised of 243 members. We proposed collaboration with Google+ and launched the 'every member is connected to every fan' project.



All 243 members of AKB48 started the Google+ service, sharing their daily activities, while every post was translated into 6 languages almost real time to respond to their fans around the world.



Exclusive content and special announcement were made on Google+.



Execution

243 members of AKB48 registered for the Google+ service, and simultaneously began uploading posts. We also acquired 243 smartphones so they can share their joys, sadness, ideas, and problems whenever and wherever they feel like.



On the Google+ stream, fans got to know the members more intimately in comparison to the stage or TV. Using unique functions of Google+, members were able to express themselves in various ways and receive feedback from fans at unparalleled speed.



This activity instantly created quite a buzz, and the AKB48’s Google+ followers increased rapidly.



Documented Results

Google+, but also on many websites, SNSs, and BBSs. It has been featured on TV, magazines, and newspapers.



More than 500,000 posts have been uploaded on the biggest BBS in Japan, ‘2ch’.



72,600 posts have been uploaded by AKB48 members; 4,290,000 comments and 15,000,000 +1s from fans have been received.



They have more than 10m followers on Google+, which is more than any celebrity around the world.



Google+ became widely recognised across Japan very rapidly. The number of Google+ users in Japan has and continues to increase at unparalleled speed.