The Campaign

The campaign was held in Japan only, and only women could apply to the competition. We made 3 TV commercials for this campaign and those were on commercial broadcasting channels of Japan. The length of the TV commercial is regulated; it had to be 15 second or 30 second.

Results

Papico, from Ezaki Glico, has been one of the most famous Japanese frozen treats. However, it has had the disadvantage of being shunned by adults. Our mission: to have the adults enjoy Papico also. We focused on pop idols as a solution. Being an idol - you grow out of as an adult Papico - you grow out of as an adult With this commonality in mind, we came up with the "Mrs. Idol" campaign. AKB48 is the Japanese teen idol group. As the campaign, a woman over 30 years old was scouted to be a new member of AKB48.

First, the concept that making a middle aged women a top idol in Japanese top teen idol group was very unique and drowned Japanese nation's attention very strongly. Second, 'Mrs. Idol' was not just for the TV-commercial, she appeared in concerts, autograph sessions, TV programs and so on as a member of AKB 48 and Papico idol. She caught so many fans' heart. Finally and the most importantly, she gave a message: 'Any women can shine at any age.' Her effort to being an idol encouraged many Japanese middle aged women.

'Mrs. Idol' became a sensation---42 reports from tv, 56 reports from newspaper or magazine, 1200 web reports. $15,320,295 million dollars worth of promotional costs. Papico got huge attention as 'Mrs. Idol' got. People talked about the audition, and got excited by the campaign. Most importantly, the message: 'Adults can be pop idols, Adults can enjoy Papico' spread throughout Japan, and cheered many of Japanese middle aged women. Mrs. Idol: Mariko Tsukamoto's succession gave hope and dream to Japanese middle aged women by proving that any women can shine at any age.

Our entry is appropriate for this entry because we entertained many of Japanese adult women and successfully turned them into fans of Ezaki Glico brand. We held a competition that scouted any women who are older than 30th, and the winner could became a top idol in Japanese top teen idol group called AKB 48. The winner called "Mrs. Idol", and she appeared in many of AKB 48's idol activities such as concerts, autograph sessions, TV programs, and so on. As a Papico idol, she herself promoted Papico in many media, and by this promotion Papico's image changed: a frozen treat for children into a frozen treat that adults can enjoy also. This unique and exciting promotion entertained not only women and AKB48's fans but everyone in Japan. By these facts, we do believe it fits to this category very well.