The Campaign

The challenge was to employ the capabilities of SMEs to try and create the “tools from the future” that appear in Doraemon, a nationally-loved manga series known by everyone in Japan. The desired outcome was to make the technological capabilities of Japanese SMEs widely known. Six SMEs cooperated to form a team an actually create a Doraemon tool from the future, an automated shogi (Japanese chees) player. The SMEs, all from varying industries, were linked through Fuji Xerox’s IT Solutions designed for small- to medium-sized enterprises.

The Brief

Through the campaign, news and word of mouth on the Internet re-examining the capabilities of SMEs would spread. On the Internet, the amount of discussion concerning small- to medium-sized enterprises increased 1.3 times.

Results

The campaign was launched in January 2014. The PR release was picked up by a lot of media and through newspaper and TV the campaign gained wider recognition. It was popular and was used at a Fuji Xerox B to B events and played actively in business discussions. ・A lot of service inquiries ・Through events, etc. more than 2,000 companies came in contact with the “tool” ・More than 100 media appearance including TV, newspaper and on-line magazines covered the campaign. ・More than 750,000 times project movie viewing in one month on YouTube.

Execution

The campaign was launched in January 2014. The PR release on its own was picked up by a lot of media outlets. Through subsequent newspaper and TV advertising the campaign gained wider recognition. It was so popular that it was used at a Fuji Xerox B to B events and played an active role in business discussions.

The Situation

If they work cooperatively, even small individual companies can become a powerful force. By generating news that Fuji Xerox IT Solution Services was supporting cooperating companies in their efforts to create “tools from the future,” the presence and technological capabilities of SMEs was advertised and fans of the brand increased.

The Strategy

Unexpectedly one day, a corporate press release would announce that a Doraemon “tool from the future” had been completed. After everyone’s expectations had been raised through media news flashes, the whole story would be revealed in newspaper advertisements. Subsequently, the story becomes more news-like as it is covered by various media, etc. After that, a 120-second TV commercial outlining the whole story is televised. The commercial itself becomes news, and the number of presidents of small- to medium-sized enterprises who become aware of the project is increased.