The Brief

Our goal was to motivate potential customers to purchase Mitsubishi Electric home appliances . For most households, purchasing a new home appliance is a major decision, and in Japan couples frequently discuss the matter beforehand. In the current economic recession, we found there were many housewives or husbands who could not convince their partners to agree to new purchases. We decided to help them to persuade their partners for home appliance purchase.

Creative Execution

Our research showed that about 70% of people cannot persuade their partners to purchase a home appliance, that 57% of people planning a home appliance purchase go online to investigate the manufacturer’s website, and that about 70% of Japanese households have printers. Based on these three facts, we came up with this strategy to directly provide housewives or husbands with ready purchase negotiation tools to use with their partners on our website, effectively recruiting them as in-home Mitsubishi Electric salespeople.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

To help housewives or husbands get the message to their partners, we have created “paper traps” bearing messages about Mitsubishi appliances purchase. Available for free download as PDF files from Mitsubishi Electric promotional website, they come disguised as crossword puzzles, eye charts, board games, newspaper inserts, POP items, money, love letters, even divorce papers. By catching their partners off-guard with a direct, yet humorous emotional appeal, they can succeed in “soft-touch” negotiation.

Results

This campaign has been reported by over 30 web news sites, magazines, TV and radio. The Promotion website attracted about 255, 000 unique visitors during the 3-month. Total “Paper Traps” PDF files downloaded during the 3-month campaign: 25,120 Participants in our online Best Negotiator contest, conducted from our website: 1,551 people.