The Brief

Yamazaki Baking is the largest bakery in Japan. Among their main target of young mothers, they had an outdated image. So the brief was to improve their brand image among these mothers of young children. And the objective was to change their perception of Yamazaki as a brand for young families. By doing so, we wanted to acquire new customers and call back those we had been losing to other brands.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

We conducted the BREAD CLOCK Project, aimed at inspiring young mothers to use their creativity to participate in this fun project with their children. A website was developed to show examples using slices of white bread as a canvas, with call for entries also printed on packages of the product. Mothers were encouraged to send in their BREAD ART, to be one of 200 pieces to be incorporated into an online BREADK CLOCK. The BREAD ART and the heart-warming stories behind them were very well received as stories mothers could identify with and greatly improved brand image.

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

Results of an online survey showed that 84% of young mothers responded they were very favorable toward the promotion, since the BREAD ART and BREAD CLOCK were so adorable. In addition, 68% responded that they now have a better image of Yamazaki because of this project. Responses included, “Made me want to make BREAD ART with my child.” or “Great for food education.” The promotion captured the hearts of mothers and contributed to improving Yamazaki’s brand image among this target market. And compared to running commercials for a product, the investment was only 10%, with incredibly high ROI.

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

Instead of simply airing TV commercials, the BREAD CLOCK project provided a platform for the target to participate using the actual product. It was a great way for mothers to exert their creativity, providing a gallery for their works of BREAD ART and sharing the heart-warming stories behind them. The fun nature of making BREAD ART prompted mothers to involve their children, making breakfast time, the emblematic occasion for this product, fun time. The workshops at supermarkets also contributed to educating children to appreciate the colorful ingredients that make up BREAD ART and enjoy eating Yamazaki bread.