A FAMILY STORY

Short List
TitleA FAMILY STORY
BrandTHE SHINANO MINICHI SHIMBUN
Product / ServiceNEWSPAPER
CategoryJ03. Storytelling
EntrantFRONTAGE Tokyo, JAPAN
Entrant Company FRONTAGE Tokyo, JAPAN
Advertising Agency FRONTAGE Tokyo, JAPAN
Production Company TAIYO KIKAKU Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
Shiro Ueshima Frontage Inc. Creative Director
Akira Kano Frontage Inc. Art Director
Yuki Asai Frontage Inc. Planner/Copywriter
Shiro Ueshima Frontage Inc. Planner/Copywriter
Satoko Kanno Frontage Inc. Agency Producer
Tekken Yoshimoto Creative Agency Animation
Sachie Aihara TAIYO KIKAKU Co.ltd. Producer
Otoaki Oki Kobayashi TAIYO KIKAKU Co.ltd. Producer
Takeshi Izumida TAIYO KIKAKU Co.ltd. Director
Mariko Tsutsumi TAIYO KIKAKU Co.ltd. Production Manager
Kohei Higuchi TAIYO KIKAKU Co.ltd. Production Manager
Masami Ouchi TAIYO KIKAKU Co.ltd. Production Manager
Akihiro Morita Freelance Audio Mixer
Hiroki Ando Freelance Cinematographer
Makoto Jyukuroki Freelance Lighting
Takuro Watabe Freelance Editor
Daniel Mueller Audioforce Music
Robert Robster Henke Audioforce Music
Yukihisa Yoshimura Frontage Inc. Web Director
Naohiro Utsumi DENTSU INC. Account Executive
Koichi Yokozeki DENTSU INC. Account Executive
Kohei Morimoto DENTSU INC. Account Executive

Creative Execution

To enhance and develop “A Family Story” for the brand, we came up with an idea to create the animation by using the newspaper printing press. By applying the principles of a flipbook, the animation used 1,918 images that were meticulously printed and arranged on actual newspaper printing press, which was then shot in real time as a fluid running video. We didn’t use any CG to keep the feel of the traditional media as well as convey the simple yet nostalgic story. To reach youths in cities, YouTube was selected as a main channel.

Soon after it was uploaded onto YouTube, many social media sites were buzzing with young people commenting about strong emotions for their hometowns: “It reminded me of the warmth of my family”, “I should go home at once”, “I’ll devote myself to my parents.” Although the content was for a local newspaper, mass news sites on the Internet and national television picked up on the story. It achieved over 660,000 views in just 3 months, 550,000€ worth of free media, and a 140% increase of visitors to the brand's website. Our project created a new future for the local newspaper.

The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun Newspaper, a Japanese local newspaper based in Nagano had its 140th anniversary in 2013. As a traditional media, they were concerned about the future. Our challenge was to attract and bring young people back to the local newspaper. We understood that the younger generation no longer read the local paper because they simply preferred living in bigger cities rather than the countryside, and once they leave, they often don’t desire to return. To target the youths who left their hometowns for larger cities, we created branded content with the intention to maximize nostalgia for their hometowns. We believed the key to their nostalgia was the family bond, and so we connected this theme with the local newspaper, which is always associated with local families through local articles. The compelling story is about a local family, and is titled “A Family Story”.

Links

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