OPEN ROAD PROJECT

Short List
TitleOPEN ROAD PROJECT
BrandTOYOTA
Product / ServiceTOYOTA I-ROAD
CategoryB12. Brand Voice & Strategic Storytelling
EntrantDENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation DENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Media DENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
PR DENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
Michitaka Iida Information Services International-Dentsu, Ltd. System Producer
Kazuhiro Shimura DENTSU INC. Creative Director
Masayuki Umezawa DENTSU INC. Account Executive
Wataru Shiotani DENTSU INC. Account Executive
Kotaro Sasamoto DENTSU INC. Business Planner
Tetsuji Nose DENTSU INC. Business Planner
Yukiya Yamane DENTSU INC. Business Planner
Yoji Sakamoto DENTSU INC. Communication Designer
Minoru Kikuchi DENTSU INC. Strategic Planner
Takahiro Hayashi DENTSU INC. Strategic Planner
Rui Egashira DENTSU INC. Strategic Planner
Kana Kobayashi DENTSU INC. Strategic Planner
Ryuma Okuda DENTSU INC. Communication Planner
Yusuke Imai DENTSU INC. Art Director
Naoki Waraya DENTSU INC. Account Supervisor
Wataru Inoue DENTSU INC. Account Supervisor
Tetsuya Sakurai DENTSU INC. Account Supervisor
Hideyuki Hirai DENTSU INC. Account Supervisor
Yuki Serizawa DENTSU INC. Account Supervisor
Junichiro Kubota DENTSU INC. Business Supervisor
Shun Watanabe DENTSU INC. Account Executive
Takahide Neki DENTSU INC. Account Executive
Kohei Nagoya DENTSU INC. Communication Planner
Tomoyuki Kato DENTSU TEC INC. Director
Tatsuya Murayama DENTSU TEC INC. Producer
Syuhei Sakamoto DENTSU TEC INC. Producer
Chisako Hasegawa DENTSU TEC INC. Producer
Tatsuo Yamano DENTSU TEC INC. Producer
Kenichiro Dohi DENTSU TEC INC. Business Planner
Atsushi Nishikawa Information Services International-Dentsu, Ltd. System Producer
Tomoko Suzuki Information Services International-Dentsu, Ltd. System Producer

The Campaign

Our idea centered on developing a new type of parking service for the i-ROAD?which used a lot of wasted spaces to change the perception of the residents and the government in Tokyo. In the future, ultra-compact vehicles will play a important role in society as populations increase. However, the parking rules for these vehicles is the same as cars. Therefore, we formulated a new idea that would change what parking means for vehicles such as the i-ROAD. Tokyo developed in a way that left many small, unused spaces between buildings and under stairs. We focused on these areas, asking landowners to share them for a networked parking project. We loaned the i-ROAD prototype and access to the networked parking to residents. Through the driving and positioning data, we discovered new parking, and as people spotted the i-ROADs around town, it garnered an enormous amount of attention.

Execution

We developed a prototype i-ROAD and parking service, using an internet connected logging system that gathers GPS and driving data. The system collects driving, positioning and time data, monitoring each driver as they go about their daily lives. The data is then stored and analyzed to discover new small parking spots around town. As these enjoy the benefits of the i-ROAD, they contribute to increasing data that autonomously records parking spaces. Ultimately, we discovered many new parking spaces while our drivers drove throughout the city. The fun of the EV led to more driving, which, in turn, resulted in the discovery of more new spaces. Drivers actively cooperated in developing a system that discovered parking and gave landowners an opportunity to earn extra income. The project was updated online over the course of a year.

Tier 1: We’ve shifted the world’s image of the i-ROAD. Potential parking spaces rose to over 1,500 as people experienced the vehicles possibilities. The number of test pilots grew to 3,000—more than 30 times the number we expected. The YouTube video of the i-ROAD driving around Tokyo received more than 6.0 million views, engaging people from other cities with similar problems. As a result, we’ve changed the perception of these vehicles in the eyes of the public, causing a change in laws such as tandem riding in Tokyo.?Tier 3: We feel we’ve discovered a new business opportunity. Before the parking service, monthly driving distances averaged about 58km. However, after we introduced the parking service, that number jumped to 596km. Users regained their freedom in the urban environment with the i-ROAD and its parking service. Furthermore, intent to buy increased to 90% after the parking plan offering.

The Situation

We developed a new socially relevant parking service, using TOYOTA’s ultra-compact EV, i-ROAD. These vehicles represent a niche in Japan, but as populations increase, they will play an important role in urban mobility. However, before they can truly change urban mobility, society must experience their benefits. So we developed a new parking service by networking small unused spaces that would demonstrate an answer to a social problem. The service was structured around the users, landowners, and the city, involving local residents as test pilots who helped develop the network of spaces in Tokyo.

The Strategy

Our target was Tokyo residents and local governments that make the laws. By getting them behind us on the project, we felt we could help resolve parking problems in the city and establish a social platform for the vehicle. Our strategy called for us to involve residents as test pilots, so we rented the i-ROAD prototype and its parking service to interested drivers. They drove the vehicle and contributed to conversations through social media touting the charm of the vehicle, and subsequently increasing its popularity. Furthermore, we aimed to expand new possibilities for parking in the city, establishing the vehicle’s social relevance through this service on the streets of Tokyo where many would see it daily. Also, we set a course that will help determine parking laws and regulations for the future of ultra-compact EVs such as the i-ROAD.

Links

Website URL