The Campaign

Anyone can become a star on YouTube. The platform gives anyone a chance to reach everyone, and we wanted to showcase this exact phenomenon that brought PPAP global fame with a concept that celebrated the power of community on YouTube. We wanted to remind people of the excitement YouTube brings and celebrate the global influence of PPAP, by designing a stage performance with elements of surprise that audiences around the world could experience. ‘Remixing remixes’ - The song PPAP had gained its popularity through various remixes, or tribute videos, by numerous YouTube creators and fans. The idea was to have PPAP add an original twist to the remixes and make a mashup for the stage performance.

Creative Execution

We reached out to the YouTube community to gather over 100 PPAP-inspired videos to feature in a giant montage during PPAP's live show performance. With augmented reality technology, we composed a dynamic live visual performance synced with cameras to capture real-time motion, creating a first-ever live stream AR experience on YouTube that allowed the audience to be fully immersed in the song and experience being part of the show. Timeline (Nov. 1, 2016~Dec. 20, 2016): - Early-Nov.~Mid-Nov.: Ideation and planning, CG modeling for venue, storyboarding, technical direction and system building. - Mid-Nov.~Late-Nov.: Stage construction, obtaining usage permission for tribute videos, developing elements for special effects, planning live streaming logistics. - Late-Nov.~Early-Dec.: Finalizing designs for special effects, developing CG footage, test-run for portions using augmented reality technology. - Early-Dec.~Late-Dec.: Editing and finalizing soundtrack, completing opening sequence footage, final test-run for portions using augmented reality technology, dress rehearsal, event day.

The event attracted 5,000 onsite audiences as well as 650,000 online views (7.3 times more than the previous year), the YouTube FanFest hashtag #YTFF was No. 1 trending word on Twitter and received 130,000 mentions (39 times more than the previous year).

To create the culmination of PPAP, a song that has inspired YouTube creators and fans not only in Japan but across the globe, we researched and selected the most popular tribute videos from various locations around the world and invited them to get involved. Through this process, we were able to remix tribute videos from regions ranging from Asia to Europe and North America. To ensure both onsite audiences and live stream viewers enjoy the show, we used augmented reality technology to add special effects, compositing elements in real-time, displaying them on both the main screen and sub-screens, and making the special effects visible during the live streaming. This mashup made each tribute video come to life. Ultimately, we presented a culmination of creativity inspired by PPAP that no one has witnessed before.