JOB IN THE FANTASY

TitleJOB IN THE FANTASY
BrandSHUEISHA
Product / ServiceTOKYO GHOUL (COMIC BOOK)
CategoryA05. Media & Publications
EntrantHAKUHODO INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation HAKUHODO INC. Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
Nobuhiro Arai TBWA\HAKUHODO Interactive Creative Director
Takahiro Miura HAKUHODO Creative Director
Yuhei Ito HAKUHODO Art Director
Kei Tominaga TBWA\HAKUHODO Planner
Keita Togawa HAKUHODO Planner
Takumi Inoue HAKUHODO Account Director
Arisa Hieda HAKUHODO Account Executive

The Campaign

Job in the fantasy – the world’s 1st recruitment campaign of new characters in the comic book. Hires can became a character in “TOKYO GHOUL” and work with the existing characters. All user experience from employment offers to application is totally same as recruitment in real life. It provided an opportunity every reader dreams of “being a character in the favorite comic”. And then, this unique experience fusing the real and the fantasy reignited the lapsed comic fans.

Creative Execution

1)Expanding the world of the manga. We launched the job recruitment campaign timed right after a tragic massacre in the manga where many of the characters die. We created a realistic situation where readers could act on the call to action as a personal matter. 2)Same method as an ordinary job recruitment. We promoted the job listing in newspapers, magazines and career websites. And we made applicants hand write the resume and mail in the physical copy. This allowed participants to feel as though they are applying to a real company inside the manga. 3)Creating visually identical manga versions of the accepted candidates. We required applicants to send in their picture at the time of their application. The lucky fans who were hired appeared in the manga as manga versions of themselves in the main story. We successfully executed a deep, and engaging campaign for the manga.

Results

This campaign achieved the pure engagement between the comic and lapsed fans. “Job in the fantasy” became a comic industry sensation and the most shared topic in 2015. As the result, we succeeded to raise the awareness. Finally, the sales of “TOKYO GHOUL” increased by 25% (3 million copies) after the promotion. -THE NO1 TWITTER TREND (3rd week December/Twitter Japan) -THE MOST SHARED COMIC TOPIC 2015 (http://natalie.mu//Japanese biggest culture news site) -4,000 applicants from 17 countries -20 people was hired as a new character -25% INCREASE IN SALES OF “TOKYO GHOUL”AFTER THE CAMPAIGN

- We created a direct response of submitting a job application, answering to the job listing scattered throughout the traditional media outlets.This is the first direct response campaign of its kind for manga promotion. - We created a direct engagement for fans to able to star in the story of their favorite manga. We achieved the deepest engagement possible to connect readers to their favorite fictional universe and succeeded in creating an experience they will never forget.

-The golden age of Japanese Manga has ended. The peak was in 1995, when the market boasted 586.4 Million yen, however in 2014 the numbers shrunk to just 356 million yen. -The target audience are the lapsed manga fans who have grown out of reading manga. We took on a broader mission to revitalize the stunted market for Japanese comics. -Our approach was to tap into the fantasies of all manga readers. We focused on the one insight common to all fictional entertainment, which is to Allow fans to become a part of their favorite fictional world. We made that dream a reality. -When applying for a job in the real world, potential hired do a thorough background research of the companies. We sought to create the same effect. The job seekers purchased the manga, and deeply read the story. As a result, the sales of the manga increased.

Links

Website URL