Meiji: THE GIFT OF ANIME

Credits & Description:

Advertiser: MEIJI CO.
Agency: YOMIKO ADVERTISING
Category: Best use of Social Media Marketing in a Promotional Campaign
Scenario Writer: 634 Shinomoto (Shortcut8)
Designer/Developer: Developer Team (Birdman)
Web/Project Manager: Kanako Kitajima (Hakuhodo Dy Intersolutions )
Scenario Writer: Kiyoko Shinmura (Shortcut8)
Movie Director/Movie Editor/CG: Movie Team (Birdman )
Animation Producer: Masao Maruyama (Mappa)
Copywriter/Planner: Nao Kawakami (Yomiko Advertising)
Copywriter/Planner: Rinako Ota (Yomiko Advertising)
Web/Producer: Ryo Ota (Hakuhodo Dy Intersolutions )
Web/Project Manager: Tetsuya Oyama (Tyo.inc. Id Division)
Animation Producer: Yasuteru　iwase (Madhouse)
Copywriter/Planner: Ai Shibata (Yomiko Advertising)
Designer/Developer: Design (Birdman)
Web/Interactive Creative Director/Art Director: Director Team (Birdman )
Project Manager: Eri Horihata (Yomiko Advertising)
Animation Director: Hideki Futamura
Creative Director: Eisuke Iwabuchi (Yomiko Advertising)
Animation Producer: Kazuya Watanabe (Yomiko Advertising)
CM/Production Producer: Takeshi Suzuki (Nitto )
Art Director: Yoshimitsu Nakai (Yomiko Advertising)
Web/Production Producer: Yusuke Ueda (Tyo Inc. Ultra Unit.)

Relevancy
Our “Experience With Brand” approach consists of having the young target participate in the anime story as a friend of the hero character (personification of the brand) and rewarding the target with the brand experience of an anime film made by Japan’s top animator and voice actors. In Japan, mainstream promotion uses GWP (premium gift with purchase), resulting in a temporary upswing in product purchases. By “attaching” the gift of a brand experience, the developed platform successfully renewed and deepened the connection between the brand and young target.

Outcome
Having created deeper and lasting bonds between the young target and the brand, the total of three campaigns that used this platform resulted in a total sales increase of US$8,750,000. Compared with the start of the three campaigns, the number of Twitter accounts following the story’s hero over the entire execution period (a little over a year) increased 209%. As a result of client’s favorable evaluation of the high cost-performance of the original campaign that used this platform, it was followed by the development and execution of 2 follow-up campaigns.

Client Brief Or Objective
In order to re-establish a connection with the young who have been drifting away from KAJU GUMMY (gummy candy brand), our campaign objective is to create communication that does not result in merely a transitory effect on sales, but instead builds lasting brand equity among the young.

Implementation
In Japan, the younger generation enjoys immersing themselves in the anime world. By engaging users in “conversation” with anime characters using a synched mix of TV and SNS, the developed promotional platform provides the target with the unique “Experience With Brand” gift of together taking an active role in the creation of an anime story framed by the brand world view, resulting in a deeper user-brand connection.