Results and Effectiveness

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 saddle medium was featured in various news programs and the media value (non-paid publicity) reached more than ＄1,000,000. This meant a very high ROI given that the campaign budget was as little as $30,000. It eventually caught the attention of the local government as well, and got them to recover and recycle the abandoned bikes. Through our campaign using an unforeseen medium, we brought to life a beautiful solution to an ugly problem.

Creative Execution

We transformed bicycle-parking lots with abandoned bikes into an art gallery 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.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

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,” more “visible.” Key to our idea was creating a new medium within the problem we wanted to solve- abandoned bikes. This way, we enabled bike saddles to ‘speak’ about the problem for themselves. This insight and idea converted an ugly problem people used to ignore, into a beautiful artwork that could be appreciated and seriously dealt with.