Title | EXPERIMENTAL EXPERIENCE |
Brand | IBM JAPAN |
Product / Service | SOFTLAYER |
Category | G02. Branded Tech Offline |
Entrant | 1-10HOLDINGS KYOTO, JAPAN |
Idea Creation | 1-10HOLDINGS KYOTO, JAPAN |
PR | 1-10HOLDINGS KYOTO, JAPAN |
Production | 1-10HOLDINGS KYOTO, JAPAN |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Takehito Ogawa | 1-10HOLDINGS,Inc. | Chief Operating Officer |
Teppei Shiina | 1-10HOLDINGS,Inc. | Executive Producer |
Nobuo Kawazoe | 1-10HOLDINGS,Inc. | Producer |
Yoshiaki Sawabe | 1-10HOLDINGS,Inc. | Chief Executive Officer |
Harry Kitajima | 1-10design,Inc. | Technical Director |
Hirokazu Sawai | 1-10design,Inc. | Experience Planner |
Akane Toda | 1-10design,Inc. | Art Director |
Hirokazu Matsushige | 1-10HOLDINGS,Inc. | Creative Director |
Yuta Suzuki | 1-10design,Inc. | Project Manager |
Takuya Sejima | 1-10design,Inc. | Movie Director |
Takumi Ohbayashi | 1-10design,Inc. | Designer |
Yuki Shinagawa | 1-10design,Inc. | Designer |
Ikuo Kawai | 1-10design,Inc. | Engineer |
Hirokazu Fujioka | 1-10design,Inc. | Engineer |
Teruaki Tsubokura | 1-10design,Inc. | Engineer |
Tatsuya Yokoda | 1-10design,Inc. | Engineer |
Toyoshi Morioka | 1-10drive,Inc. | Engineer |
Yoshimasa Furuyama | 1-10design,Inc. | Engineer |
Taro Tokui | 1-10design,Inc. | Engineer |
Shunusuke Kotani | 1-10design,Inc. | Engineer |
Nana Nakamura | 1-10design,Inc. | Engineer |
Hiroko Nakahara | 1-10design,Inc. | Engineer |
Naoto Ooshiba | 1-10design,Inc. | Engineer |
Satoshi Shirai | 1-10design,Inc. | CG Director |
Hiroko Akimoto | 1-10HOLDINGS,Inc. | Assistant Producer |
We launched a proof-of-concept project that would use the power of IBM’s SoftLayer service and other cutting-edge innovative technologies to create an experience of the future—territory usually left to sci-fi novels and anime.
In order to stir up interest and excitement, we first posted a video online announcing the project. People engaged in a heated debate on social media over the pros and cons and what the project could mean. We had succeeded in creating buzz around the project before it had even started. Out of over 100,000 applicants, 228 lucky testers were chosen randomly and invited to IBM Japan’s secret lab in Tokyo for a super-secret proof-of-concept test event. The project employed IBM’s SoftLayer service as well as other cutting-edge technological innovations in order to create the closest thing to a fully-immersive “full dive” experience of the future as there ever was, to the surprise and delight of the testers. Video reports and reactions posted online by the test subjects quickly made their way around the globe, catching the attention of media outlets and technologists and sparking a full-blown social phenomenon.
Within 3 days after the launch, it became trending keywords on Twitter, Yahoo!, Google and Youtube, and the project achieved a social reach of over 120 million people—giving IBM Japan the most effective marketing effort in its history. Furthermore, a brand ranking survey conducted by Nikkei BP Consulting, Inc. placed IBM Japan considerably higher than its ranking the previous year. The company had succeeded in re-establishing its brand in the most powerful way.
In order to create a buzz over social media, we joined forces with the popular Japanese anime “Sword Art Online”, a property with a fanbase among internet users all around the world. Under the supervision of the creator of the series, we came up with an original “prequel” apart from the official story in order to fan the flames of excitement and hype both positive and negative for something truly newsworthy.