The Campaign

In mass media, branded content and entertainment are generally highly restricted in Japan. This is especially the case with public service advertising. Given this reality, we came up with a unique idea that was independent from traditional communication channels and insted spread on its own.

Results

In Tokyo, over 2 million bikes are being disposed on the city streets every year, creating huge litter, blocking traffic, as well as being esthetically disturbing. But despite this reality, these bicycles went largely unnoticed sitting in the same spot, day after day. Our hypothesis was that it’s because the problem was “invisible.” With COGOO, an organization aiming to create cleaner cities, we set out to raise awareness by making the invisible, visible. We transformed bicycle-parking lots with abandoned bikes into art galleries displaying SADDLE BLOSSOMS: A Beautiful Solution to an Ugly Problem. First, we collected dozens of abandoned bikes and recycled the saddles into planters to be used as an unforeseen new medium. We then got support from botanical experts to plant special seeds that grow fast. The plants left outdoors grew under the different weather, and in just a few weeks, abandoned bikes became art objects that created a unique plant gallery that caught the attention of many passers-by who stopped to ‘watch’ and ‘feel’ the invisible problem in a way like never before. Furthermore, we promoted the art objects through posters and online. This news spread quickly, and the problem of abandoned bikes became something people could no longer ignore.

The usual scene of bicycle-parking lots near train stations and university campuses filled with abandoned bikes were transformed into art galleries one after another. Passers-by who walked past these areas without paying any attention began to stop and observe the art objects made from plants during the time bikes were abandoned. The audience enjoyed the art in their own ways; by touching, taking pictures, reading the information on the exhibit labels and by so doing, they received a coherent message: the need to eliminate abandoned bikes. The project made the audience realize how long these bikes had been left abandoned.

In just 1 month, the exhibition helped reduce 40% of abandoned bikes in the area which in actual numbers meant about 12,000 bikes. This unique campaign was featured in various news programs and the media value (non-paid publicity) reached ＄1,000,000. This meant a very high ROI given that the campaign budget was as little as $30,000. It even caught the attention of the local government, and got them to recover and recycle the abandoned bikes. Through the campaign, we brought to life a beautiful solution to an ugly problem.