The Campaign

We focused in on the coins that can’t be exchanged by foreign tourists before departure. Every year, it’s estimated that 250 million dollars’ worth of coins disappear from Japan. We decided to make an appeal for people to use that money on buying a souvenir GACHA to take home instead.

The Brief

Several million yen per airport/ the total of 45 million yen for 15 facilities such as airports (100% production cost and 0% for advertisement medium cost).

Creative Execution

To make effective use of the small budget, we put our effort into just one thing. We worked on developing the phrase, “Take advantage of the leftover JPY coins!” and displayed it in up to nine languages. We procured special fixtures at the GACHA point of purchase to ensure quick and surefire communication.

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

The project was covered by 47 TV stations, 225 web news companies, 44 newspapers, seven magazines, and three radio stations, with cumulative media exposure gained in Japan and overseas estimated at over 40 million dollars. The project stretched across about 15 airports, with total sales amounting to about 2 million dollars. (Each toy costs about $1-3)Relative to an initial investment of mere tens of thousands of dollars per airport, sales now reach up to 10 times the normal amount. And with no end in sight, the project's effectiveness is unquestionable.Creating a new market by connecting non-exchangeable coins and GACHA. While also providing an alternative solution to the global problem of what to do with leftover change on overseas travel.

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

We devised ideas and strategies to make maximum use of the insight regarding the very particular target of international airport users and limited budget. Despite being an unknown brand for many foreigners, we were able to attract a lot of people to the point of purchase, encouraged experience (purchasing behavior), and greatly contribute to improving brand recognition.

In contrast to the seemingly infinite stream of travelers filing through airports every day, the budget was limited. Therefore, rather than using money on media, we planned a communication policy that utilized the GACHA (toy vending machines), permanently installed at the airport as the media. We made for a perpetual cycle that kept catching fresh customers every day with minimal cost.