The Brief

At a time when West Japan has increasingly wide Wi-Fi coverage, NTT West was failing to instill an image in the public consciousness as a leader of Wi-Fi infrastructure, despite the fact that it was doing the lion’s share of the work.For that reason, NTT West decided to undertake a project that used information technology as a means of providing consumers with fun, real experiences and diffusing those experiences worldwide. The company’s goals for this project were two-fold: first, to convey to the children of today’s increasingly computer-based society just how interesting real-life experiences are; and second, to restore its corporate image to a positive one.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

NTT’s partner developed technology to scan pictures of fish and have those fish swim in a virtual ocean projected onto a screen. Meanwhile, NTT West developed the applications that would automatically generate videos of the fish swimming the moment they were scanned and upload them to the official YouTube channel in real time. Participants could give their fish names and search the videos to find their fish by name. This high-entertainment-value event was held at one of Japan’s most famous aquariums. They shared their fish using SNS, which served to stimulate conversation with their family and friends.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

Numerous press releases were distributed to increase the chance of coverage on TV and online news sites. Aiming for TV coverage and other third-party exposure rather than simply advertising helped ensure that the project was judged on its own merits by people throughout the world. We believed that the project could stand on its own and earn positive reactions from around the globe without paid advertising. We were convinced that those positive reactions would help add a dash of positivity to the world and earn NTT West the image it deserves as a technological innovator.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

The campaign targeted children and their parents, i.e., NTT West’s future and present customers. The company’s primary goals were to create a positive image of the company among now and for the future by providing families with opportunities to share enjoyable experiences together.