Results and Effectiveness

The craft worked as an OOH, both at school and the community, decorated at graduation ceremony, school hallway, and also in the shopping center. Shoppers would see the craft every day, and be reminded of their bonding. The song spread among the community, become the community's theme song and was aired on the local radio broadcast. Soon it will be released nationally. Moreover, the students are singing the song on their way to school, working as a natural media. The school board polled all municipal schools to see if they also wanted the Ribbond Birds, and 75% replied yes

Creative Execution

The media plan was formed of 3 parts; Song, Craft, and Event. The Song and the Craft offered experience to nurture bonding between school and community. They were invited to participate in the development process; each of the bird crafts were folded by the students and the community, and the song lyric was written based upon their voices. We held the Event, which offered an experience to appreciate their bonding and share a same memory. What's more, the Song and Craft worked as reminder after the Event, spreading the idea and reminding people of the shared experience.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Schools fill an invaluable role in everyone's lives. In Japan, they have the added role of being the evacuation centers for natural disasters. After the serious disaster of March 2011, the importance of that second role became a devastating priority. The government mandated schools to better connect the communities they serve, and inform them of their locations and evacuation routes. Wada Elementary School wanted to communicate this in a powerful way to engage people, not only with the schools but with each other. We created a simple yet meaningful action for families and friends to do together. Following a traditional Japanese craft we united the community, had fun and helped teach kids and adults information that could save their lives. We call it Ribbond Birds. We reached out to local artists and a famous composer to help create an original crafted bird made of folded ribbon and special song.