The Campaign

Disaster area’s sake brewer broadcast their message to encourage “hanami” via YouTube. The crux of their message was not “HELP!” but “Enjoy!”, not “Donate!” but “Drink!”. Establishing an official website to be the hub and using social media to spread the message. Create and distribute posters from people with their personal messages of support. PR promotion through mass media. Developed the campaign and sales space linked to participating ecommerce websites, restaurants and major retail chains.

The Brief

The public mood was pessimistic. Yet mourning did not have practical benefits to the victims. Our targets are all Japanese who were in the excessive mood of mourning and those of who enforced others to go mourning. Our goal was to change the public mood to positive and encourage them to keep up with regular economic activity, and to support the victims of the crisis by consuming their products.

Results

The massage video archived 650,000 PV just in fist two weeks. Sake breweries in stricken area were reported by every TV stations and NP media in Japan. Amount of media impression offsets 33million dollars. Sake sales of breweries in the stricken area went up to 400% (compared to previous year). Government withdraw the announcement of recommending canceling the feasts and parties and showed support to our campaign. After the horrible crisis, we have archived new style of action, a positive attitude, of "Consume-and-Support".

Execution

Our campaign was implemented in three phases. First, we produced a video message from sake breweries at Tohoku, the epicenter of the quake, and uploaded on YouTube to ask people not to refrain from cherry blossam feast, encouraging them to have the feast like how they do every year because it's one of the highest moment of sake consumption and without this, the crisis could cause another crisis, economically, to the breweries after the quake. Secondly, we distributed posters through our website for the supporters to show their will of support. And at last, as the most symbolic action of our campaign, the very first time in 1,200 years of the history of Japanese cherry blossom feast, we have organized "All Japan blossom feast". Supporters participated from throughout country and shared the celebration of the grace of beautiful season through twitter and Facebook.

The Situation

Nanasake!-Nippon! is an organization to generate optimistic mood and to encourage “Consume-and-Support” attitude while everyone went to mourning and Japanese economy seemed to freeze after the crisis of earthquake hit east Japan on May 11. Due to the crisis, every events and seasonal feasts had canceled and it had seemed to stop economic activity which could cause another crisis. Even our government officials made announcement to refrain our traditional cherry blossom feast for the season, Hanami was the chance of enhancing consumption and cheering people to change their mood to positive.

The Strategy

Under the disastrous situation, the most convincing speakers aren't politicians nor celebrities but the victims who are in need of help. Setting them as messengers, delivering the massage to encourage everybody else in excessive mood of mourning, limiting their activity, to get back in their life.