The Brief

The final qualifier for the World Cup – a must-win to earn a World Cup berth. As an official sponsor and supplier, adidas Japan wanted to turn the event into an opportunity to make a connection with its audience using the unifying theme of football. The objective was to create an event that Unites and Engages football fans throughout Japan in support of their national team and generate dynamic connections among football fans in support of their team.

Creative Execution

The latest campaign offered participants a virtual experience of assisting Japan national team member Shinji Kagawa. The campaign helped football fans realize they are part of the team and contributed to engaging them further. Furthermore, the wowing experience of assisting Kagawa up in the sky of Roppongi was spread and shared automatically via social media. The campaign brought together adidas, the official supporter, and football fans through the historic game of the Japan national team.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

To achieve the object, we created an event that was both impactful live but could also be shared and engaged with via smartphone. Our solution was an interactive projection 200 meters above the ground in Tokyo on the day of a crucial game for the national team. Fans could use their smartphone to virtually ‘throw in’ a soccer ball towards the projection – a massive video of Japan star forward Shinji Kagawa, projected on the wall of a high-rise building. Kagawa received the ball and made a shot on goal. The thrower’s Facebook profile photo and support message were also projected.

Results

Games of the Japan national football team attract a great deal of attention. Especially, the match against Jordan on March 26 received considerable public attention as Japan competed for a chance to secure a berth in the next World Cup. A lot of Japanese media often interview football fans on the streets during matches. In order to take advantage of the situation, we used the wall of an eye-catching high-rise building in Tokyo’s Roppongi entertainment district as media, projecting gigantic images onto the wall. The campaign created a great PR opportunity, catching the attention of many people and media.