MARIONETTEBOT

TitleMARIONETTEBOT
BrandUNITED ARROWS
Product / ServiceGREEN LABEL RELAXING
CategoryB01. Consumer Products
EntrantTBWA\HAKUHODO Tokyo, JAPAN
Entrant Company TBWA\HAKUHODO Tokyo, JAPAN
Advertising Agency TBWA\HAKUHODO Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
Shoichiro Matsuoka Buffer Renaiss Marionette
Tomohiro Akagawa Rhizomatiks Device Programming
Yukio Akiba Rhizomatiks Device Craft
Takashi Suzuki Rhizomatiks Sensor Programmer
Hiroyasu Kimura Rhizomatiks Web Designer
Hiroyuki Hori Rhizomatiks Visual Programmer
Yoichi Sakamoto Rhizomatiks Device Architect
Motoi Ishibashi Rhizomatiks Device Design/Programming
Seiichi Saito Rhizomatiks Technical Creative Director
Shota Kusayanagi Taiyo Kikaku Production Manager
Yuri Hirano Taiyo Kikaku Production Manager
Maiko Shimada Taiyo Kikaku Production Manager
Hirotaka Tochihara Taiyo Kikaku Proucer
Koji Eguchi Taiyo Kikaku Proucer
Yukari Toyooka Tbwa\hakuhodo Accoount Executive
Akira Henmi Tbwa\hakuhodo Accoount Executive
Kanako Ishioroshi Hakuhodo Planner/Copy Writer
Sachiko Oyamada Tbwa\hakuhodo Planner/Interactive Planner
Katsuhiro Shimizu Tbwa\hakuhodo Art Director
Kazoo Sato Tbwa\hakuhodo Creative Director/Planner

The Campaign

-Stores themselves are facing more and more competition for traffic, losing customers daily to online shopping sites. While selling online grows, Japan’s largest apparel store Green Label Relaxing wanted to make better use of its real world assets – and bring people into the store to experience the brand firsthand. Located in heavily trafficked areas, the logical choice was to re-invigorate that old media of fashion – the show window. -So we launched a campaign to innovate the show window – but not just to ‘digitize’ it – we wanted to bring it to life. We developed the world’s first interactive mannequins by incorporating Kinect sensor technology into a marionette. While show windows are less and less effective these days, we used the latest technology to turn the traditional media “show window” into a most innovative – and effective - medium. -The core communication target was ‘20-something shoppers’ out and about looking for fashion.

The Brief

With the spread of online shopping in the apparel industry in recent years, people who buy things at stores are decreasing. People no longer “window shop.” Our objective, therefore, was twofold – one, we wanted to attract passersby to come in the store; people who are out shopping but may be just passing us by on their way to another shop. We wanted to change their behavior from pre-searched shopping to surprise and discovery shopping. Our second objective was to create buzz online to encourage new customers to come out and visit our store.

Results

We brought innovation to the storefront, instead of avoiding it or focusing on digital-only campaigns. As a result, the campaign attracted a great deal of attention from not only Japanese brands, but also foreign competitors and retail marketing industry. Marionettebot took consumers by surprise with its fresh combination of marionette and robotics. People lined up in front of the store, and sales increased by 130 percent from a year earlier. The initiative created a great buzz on SNS, with the brand’s SNS media share increasing by 2,812 percent compared to that before the campaign.

Execution

Type: Show window Date of 1st Implementation/Duration: 11/03/2013~11/18/2013 Placement: shop This campaign was the original.

The Situation

While selling online grows, Japan’s largest apparel store United Arrows Green Label Relaxing wanted to make better use of its tangible assets – and bring people into the store to experience the brand firsthand. We decided to re-invigorate that old media of fashion – the show window. The core target was ‘20-something fun-seeking shoppers’ out and about looking for fashion. Our objective was to create a complete campaign to engage customers on the street, motivate them to shop, and encourage sharing online. Our solution was an interactive experience - the world’s first interactive mannequins incorporating Kinect sensor technology into a marionette.

The Strategy

The strategy was to create a complete campaign that would engage potential customers on the street, motivate them to shop, and also encourage them to share the experience online. The target consumers are fun seekers who have a very high digital literacy. Therefore, we aimed to develop a campaign using digital and entertainment that can generate WOM on SNS. In addition, we tried to strengthen brand engagement by providing the consumers with an interactive experience involving the store rather than simply showing the display. We also incorporated some sales promotion plans that directly contribute to sales so that it does not end up with just an entertainment.