MAGICAL SOAP DISPENSER

TitleMAGICAL SOAP DISPENSER
BrandKAO
Product / ServiceKAO CORPORATE BRANDING
CategoryD01. Health & Wellness: Corporate Image & Communication
EntrantDENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation DENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation 2 KAO IMAGE PRODUCTION Tokyo, JAPAN
Media DENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
PR DENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Production DENTSU CREATIVE X Tokyo, JAPAN
Contributing MELODY PUNCH Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
Haruhiko Kimura Kao Marketing Communication Director
YutakaTajimi Kao Chief Creative Officer
Misako Kishi Kao Creative Director
Shingo Sakai Kao Marketing Communication Manager
Kiyoaki Okita Kao Client Producer
Tomoko Kanezaki Dentsu Creative Director
Satoshi Atoda Dentsu Account Director
Kumi Ishizuki Dentsu Copywriter
Michiko Sukai Dentsu Copywriter
Kozai Nagatomo Dentsu Copywriter
Kazuko Marubashi Dentsu Art Director
Isao Yamazaki Dentsu Agency Producer
Ayu Sasaki Dentsu Strategy & Communication Design Planner
Takao Hirayama Dentsu Account Manager
Satoshi Kameyama Free Director
Hiroki Ando Free Cinematographer
Shinichi Matsuda Dentsu CreativeX.inc Executive Producer
Takuji Okamoto Dentsu CreativeX.inc Film Producer
Toyoshige Inose Dentsu CreativeX.inc Film Producer
Toshihiko Ohoka Dentsu CreativeX.inc Casefilm Director

The Campaign

Washing hands is a big interest for all moms globally, and one of the most simple and effective health rituals to protect children from germs and diseases. In Japan, 98% of moms with small children wish to make hand washing habits stick to their children. However, the good things that parents want to teach are not always fun for children. In fact, we found out that 93% of moms with small children feels stress for scolding their children to wash their hands everyday. Our idea was to leverage Kao’s technology of 3D foamed soap, and create an iconic medium that can trigger children to enjoy washing their hands proactively - at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea, the most exciting contact point for all children. We developed soap dispensers that bubbles out 3D Mickey Mouse shaped soap, and announced this as a flagship of Kao’s sponsorship to Tokyo Disney Resort.

Creative Execution

On July 1st 2015, Kao became an official sponsor of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea, and launched the “Magical Soap Dispenser”. We installed 73 Mickey Mouse 3D soap dispensers across the park. The Mickey Mouse shaped soap was designed to be a medium to deliver a special hand washing experience, and suitable to be shared via social media. We announced “The Magical Soap Dispenser” in the press event, TV commercials, out-of-home media, and websites. It was introduced as the “new amusement of Tokyo Disney Resort”in various media, including TV programmes, Newspapers, and websites. Selfies of this simple and fun health ritual fueled the excitement across Japan.

The news of the new park amusement immediately spread all across Japan. Everyday, a long queue was developed in front of the dispenser for weeks after the launch. “The Magical Soap Dispenser” was picked up in more than 20 TV shows, 13 Newspapers, 148 websites, and fired social conversation in social media. Within half a month, 1/3 of the entire Japanese population (20s-60s) knew about “The Magical Soap Dispenser”. Moms and kids reacted the most. Kao’s corporate likeability raised by 74%, and purchase intention of Kao products raised by 224%. Moreover, 46% of moms felt that there was a change in hand washing attitudes of their children after experiencing the soap dispenser. In fact, 1 out of 7 kids keeps the new habit and enjoys washing their hands even at home, and 72% of mothers replied that it will reduce the stress of scolding their kids about washing hands.

The development of “The Magical Soap Dispenser” was not about forcing audiences to hear good stories about Kao. It was about designing an enjoyable experience that people would naturally become willing to participate. Especially when it comes to children, entertainment is even more important. This work demonstrates how we have brought excitement back to a commoditized health ritual, by promoting a fun and special hand washing experience. It has also leveraged Kao’s sponsorship to Tokyo Disney Resort into a social conversation, supporting Kao to regain brand advocacy among a wide range of consumers.

Through connecting with children utilizing Kao’s technology of 3D foamed soap, our aim was to regain attention and brand advocacy among 20-30s young moms. Every year, more than 30 million people visit Tokyo Disney Resort from all across Japan. The park is a big interest nationally, specifically among young families. Key topics about Tokyo Disney Resort are always heavily covered in various media, and shared via SNS. In other words, creating news at Tokyo Disney Resort is not only the best way to address our target consumers physically, but also an effective way to gain social conversation about Kao. Our plan was to launch the“The Magical Soap Dispenser” as an icon of Kao’s sponsorship to Tokyo Disney Resort, and announce the new amusement with scale for consumers and media to spread the fun of hand washing.