The Campaign

Pocari Sweat, a sports drink company, took on the challenge of providing live feeds for all 5,000 competitions in all 30 events from the tournament. Everyone wants to cheer on their friends and heroes as they strive to perform their best. In providing an answer to this universal wish, we attempted to demonstrate that Pocari Sweat is a brand for all athletes devoted to their sport.

Creative Execution

A staff of more than 1,700 people using 107 video cameras and mobile Wi-Fi technology streamed the heat of the battles from all 5,000 competitions in all 30 events live throughout Japan. We also handed out samples of Pocari Sweat beverages at the sporting venues. In this way, we supported athletes both physically and psychologically.

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

We generated an audience more than seven times larger than the roughly 600,000 spectators that attended the tournament in person. When surveyed, 80 percent said their trust in and goodwill toward the brand had increased, 60 percent said their intention to purchase had risen, and 50 percent said they had actually purchased more of the brand’s products.

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

Pocari Sweat, a sports drink company, provided live feeds of all 5,000 competitions in all 30 events from a sports tournament, often thought of as Japan’s Olympics for high-school students, which had never been broadcast before. There had been no way to support the athletes at the tournament in the past, short of attending in person. We made it possible to cheer on the competitors from anywhere, allowing family and friends to share in the crowning moments of the athletes’ lives, while successfully creating a brand that will be remembered for a lifetime.

We publicized the new media channel with posters in high schools across the country. We made it possible to watch the competitions on smartphones, the device of choice among high-school athletes and their friends and family, so that people could cheer on the athletes no matter where they were.