The Brief

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.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

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.

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

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. It gained an extensive media coverage and became a great success.

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

The core communication target was ‘20-something shoppers’ out and about looking for fashion. 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.