Title | COGY WHEELCHAIR |
Brand | TESS CO., LTD. |
Product / Service | COGY |
Category | F01. Consumer Products |
Entrant | TBWA\HAKUHODO Tokyo, JAPAN |
Idea Creation | TESS Sendai, JAPAN |
Idea Creation 2 | TOHOKU UNIVERSITY Sendai, JAPAN |
Idea Creation 3 | TBWA\HAKUHODO Tokyo, JAPAN |
Media Placement | TBWA\HAKUHODO Tokyo, JAPAN |
PR | TBWA\HAKUHODO Tokyo, JAPAN |
Production | GEEK PICTURES Tokyo, JAPAN |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Kenji Suzuki | TESS | CEO |
Chieko Ito | TESS | Head of Secretarial Section and Community Contribution Staff |
Junichi Tarumi | TESS | Sales Divison Distribution Promotion Office Chief Manager |
Yasunobu Handa | Tohoku University | Professor Emeritus |
Ryuichi Iihoshi | M2 Design | Product Designer |
Kazoo Sato | TBWA\HAKUHODO | Chief Creative Officer |
Satoshi Chikayama | TBWA\HAKUHODO | Creative Director |
Yuki Tokuno | TBWA\HAKUHODO | Art Director |
Hyewon Choi | TBWA\HAKUHODO | Designer |
Hiroshi Yamazaki | TBWA\HAKUHODO | Copywriter |
Yuta Enoki | TBWA\HAKUHODO | Designer |
Yoku Ishida | TBWA\HAKUHODO | Copywriter |
Kazuaki Kuribayashi | TBWA\HAKUHODO | Buzz Machine |
Issei Ishikura | TBWA\HAKUHODO | Creative Technologist |
Satoshi Suzuki | TBWA\HAKUHODO | Account Director / Digital Communication Director |
Toshiatsu Kobayashi | TBWA\HAKUHODO | Account Director |
Akiko Onodera | TBWA\HAKUHODO | Agency Producer |
Chikako Nagai | TBWA\HAKUHODO | Agency Producer |
Yusuke Yamanaka | AID-DCC | Producer |
Takanobu Noso | AID-DCC | Developer |
Hidemitsu Yokoi | GEEK PICTURES | Producer |
Kenichi Sumide | Freelance | Movie Director |
Takayuki Niwa | SPIRITS Inc. | Movie Director |
Takahiro Kojima | Hakuhodo Product’s | Photographer |
Koji Togoe | Hakuhodo Product’s | Producer |
Yasuko Furukawa | Hakuhodo Product’s | Photographer |
Masakazu Hirata | Hakuhodo Product’s | Photographer |
Ryo Ito | Hakuhodo Product’s | Retoucher |
Takahiro Miura | TBWA\HAKUHODO | PR |
Eunhee John | AOI Pro. Inc. | Colorist |
Honorary Professor Handa of the National Tohoku University of Japan has discovered that by stimulating the primitive motor reflex located in the spine, even immobile legs are spurred into movement by “reflex”. To instigate and perpetuate this reflex movement with the greatest of ease, the COGY seating is designed very low and its pedals are ultra-light. How it works: 1. The slightest force pushes the pedal forth. 2. This movement stimulates users’ primitive motor reflex in the spine. 3. The reflex causes the opposite leg to move as well, creating a cycling motion and hence, self/leg-generated movement for the user.
The one existing weakness that COGY has in terms of communication, is that its effect is so game-changing and so “new” that it still lacking somewhat in terms of being perceived as “reliable” and “authentic” information by the public. In order to address this, the real voices of users were placed at the center of this communication. STEP1. Produced an emotional movie of patients using COGY for the first time. STEP2. Held COGY test rides across Japan. The “miracle of COGY” was delivered/demonstrated to all corners of the country. STEP3. Web site and EC site constructed to maximize sales channel paths. Special designed catalogues were given to sales personnel as tools to drive their sales efforts.
The movie got more than 1.6million views within the first week of its release. COGY’s recognition went through the roof, with coverage on TV, and print media. Units sold increased to 180% from the year before, with more and more patients switching to COGY. Recognition of COGY spread overseas, which included a query from Stanford University’s medical research bodies. COGY was also selected as one of the Top 10 most beautiful chairs of 2016 (selected by the BBC).
COGY is the world’s first wheelchair that allows immobile patients to actually pedal with their own legs again. To communicate this revolutionary product, we took the following approaches. 1. Positioned COGY as “The wheelchair for those who still believe.” (also acts as a tagline) This does not only differentiate COGY from other wheelchairs but also tells people that they now have an option of not giving up on their legs. 2. Named COGY after the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of pedaling (cogy-cogy). 3. The real voices of COGY users were documented both in movie and text format. These were uploaded to COGY’s brand new website.