BLACK BOX

TitleBLACK BOX
BrandHARLEY-DAVIDSON JAPAN
Product / ServiceSTREET 750
CategoryC02. Cars & Automotive Services
EntrantE-GRAPHICS COMMUNICATIONS Yokohama, JAPAN
Entrant Company E-GRAPHICS COMMUNICATIONS Yokohama, JAPAN
Advertising Agency E-GRAPHICS COMMUNICATIONS Yokohama, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
Tomohira Kodama E-graphics communications Executive Creative Director
Yasuhiko Yoshida E-graphics communications Creative Director
Yoshitaka Nonaka E-graphics communications Creative Director
Eriko Takahashi E-graphics communications Art Director
Hiroyuki Arai E-graphics communications Copywriter
Natuki Hirosawa E-graphics communications Planning Director
Keiji Tateiwa E-graphics communications Planning Manager
Hidenari Kimura E-graphics communications Account Manager
Yusuke Yasuda E-graphics communications Account Executive

Brief Explanation

A key promotional element for the BLACK BOX campaign was to give potential customers an actual taste of what it is like to ride the new Harley-Davidson STREET 750. This was done by creating a video clip on the spot, of them riding the bike through the streets of Tokyo. Another goal was to arouse potential customers’ curiosity towards the brand by confronting them with a huge black box in the middle of one of Tokyo’s most crowded areas, Shibuya. In this way passersby were induced to check out what was going on inside the box, which included Harley-Davidson branding imagery.

The Brief

A fundamental challenge was to create interest in the new Harley-Davidson STREET 750 by urban dwelling men and women ages 18-34, a declining segment of motorcycle ridership in Japan. The STREET model line was designed from the ground up—and was priced—specifically to appeal to the young adult outreach target, which is not just essential for the success of the new product, but for the future sake of the Harley-Davidson brand at large. Strategy called for an aggressive promotional campaign to demonstrate the Harley-Davidson STREET’s appeal and relevance to the younger demographic.

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

The BLACK BOX, located in a prime location in Shibuya, was impossible to ignore. The site of people lining up to take a peek inside the box induced the participation of many over the course of the 2-day campaign. Once a participant peered through the hole, his or her face was photographed and instantly rendered in 3-D and superimposed onto the body of a STREET rider in a fast-paced video clip. A personalized print-out with a QR code and URL let participants instantly access the clip via YouTube on their smartphones, to share with friends via social media channels. The most popular clip was played 112 times. The BLACK BOX campaign also generated exposure through a variety of Internet media channels, while attracting a great deal of attention from potential STREET customers. Harley-Davidson ended up with a list of solid sales leads for the new product.

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

The BLACK BOX campaign was one of a series of promotional activities, which included advertisements in relevant print publications nationwide, a special in-store display conforming to Harley-Davidson’s global rollout of the STREET model line, and a variety of posters and other collateral items, as well as direct mail initiatives. A special launch event in February for press, potential customers and other stakeholders included an exclusive party that crossed over into the young adult fashion world, and which emphasized the motorcycle’s cool styling, light weight and suitability for city riding as opposed to touring the open road, and remarkably low pricing that makes the STREET competitive with alternatives on the market. The 2-day appearance of the BLACK BOX in Shibuya during the busy Christmas shopping season in mid-December went according to plan and served to provide advance notice that the STREET was on its way.