The Brief

Japan is one of the safest countries on earth, where people are pretty naive about cyber crime, thinking it only happens in foreign countries. Our challenge was to break this naïve perception and have them understand that the threat is real and immediate, that it recognizes no borders and that the best possible protection for your computer is essential.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

To break this naïve passivity our core idea was ‘The threat is everywhere’, surrounding the daily life of our consumers with sinister messages, when least expected. We flipped the convention of smiling celebrity endorsement so prevalent in Japan, by turning a ‘sugar coated’ young talent into a highly unpleasant cyber criminal overnight. Launching 3 commercials depicting the major areas of cyber crime on major OOH TV boards (and regular TV) around Tokyo, using twitter as a personal communication from the cyber criminals, online banners that questioned consumers safety, leaflets and a massive retail presence in computer and electronic shops. We also hijacked a well-known female idol’s blog using our ‘stalker’ character and a popular YouTube like local video channel.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

Norton became #1 in Japan after years as the #2 brand, and our campaign will be used as a benchmark for the whole of Asia. Our campaign truly engaged Japanese consumers into a world they had little idea of. It changed their perception and their behavior, convincing them both of the seriousness of these crimes and to put their hands in their wallets to buy our premium and much safer products.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

Digitalized crimes are invisible and its dangers are unrealized. By creating a promotion that was unexpected, slightly disturbing and in almost every touch point our audience might see, we managed to gain the attention of consumers and stimulated recognition of the importance of protection against cyber criminals by giving the crime a face.