Title | ZOO JEANS |
Brand | KAMINE ZOOLOGICAL SUPPORT ASSOCIATION MINEKO-CLUB |
Product / Service | ZOO JEANS |
Category | A06. Promotional Items |
Entrant | I&S BBDO Tokyo, JAPAN |
Entrant Company | I&S BBDO Tokyo, JAPAN |
Advertising Agency | I&S BBDO Tokyo, JAPAN |
Production Company | TCJ Tokyo, JAPAN |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Yoshihisa Ogata | I/S BBDO | Exective Creative Director |
Shinichi Ikeda | I/S BBDO | Senior Creative Director |
Takuya Miyamoto | I/S BBDO | Creative Director/Art Director |
Takahiro Sakai | I/S BBDO | Planner |
Campbell Hanley | I/S BBDO | Copywriter |
Hironobu Taniguchi | I/S BBDO | Agency Producer |
Tomoaki Watanabe | TCJ | Chief Producer |
Kazuhide Kumada | TCJ | Producer |
Tatsuo Murai | CAVIAR | Director |
Yousuke Ohmori | Freelance | Cameraman |
Katsuya Yamada | Aiin | Music |
Yusuke Matsumoto | RAMPUYA | Production Designer |
Reiko Matsumoto | Kadokawa Daiei Studio | Production Designer |
Yuki Kawakami | Amana | Photographer |
Noriaki Hosaka | Amana | Web Director |
Takanari Yamashita | Bluecurrent Japan | Pr Account Manager |
Tetsutato Shimo | Bluecurrent Japan | Pr Media Solution Manager |
Tatsuya Hirosawa | Bluecurrent Japan | Pr Account Executive |
Aya Miyashita | I/S BBDO | Agency Pr Director |
Our key objective was to reframe “the zoo” as an amusement destination that is relevant to young people today – not an old-fashioned relic of yesteryear – so it was necessary to take an original and unexpected approach, and to do so on a shoestring budget. We felt that the basic idea – designer jeans ripped by real lions, tigers and bears – was strong enough to garner considerable media coverage and generate buzz. So our task was to first get this message out, then make the details available to people who would inevitably want to learn more.
Zoos across Japan have seen a gradual decline in attendance since their heyday, especially smaller facilities located outside of the major metropolitan areas that lack the financial resources to procure rare animals and create flashy attractions. The Kamine Zoo in Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture, was looking for ways to increase the number of visitors. People perceived the zoo as old-fashioned, and it was not a consideration in their list of entertainment options. The zoo needed to give people a fresh surprise – something to talk about.
We wondered whether some new form of entertainment couldn’t be found in the everyday lives of the animals. We took the animals’ playthings – old tires and giants balls – and wrapped them in fabric, to make the world’s first animal-made distressed denim jeans. The design was as simple as it was unique, and resonated with the entire spectrum of zoo visitors – and, more importantly, with young people who were not zoo-goers. Leveraging the natural instincts of the animals captured people’s imagination and gave them a taste of what the zoo has to offer.
In the first two weeks of the campaign, Zoo Jeans was featured in major news channels both in Japan and around the world – a total of737 media. In the same period, social media users mentioned the jeans made by animals in 28,346 posts, reaching a total 34,572,889 people. Furthermore, many people participated in the charity auction, with one pair alone selling for some USD$1,500.00. And the zoo saw a 132% increase in visitors compared with the same period last year. People saw the zoo in a new light – as a place that offers new form of entertainment.