GET BACK, TOHOKU.

TitleGET BACK, TOHOKU.
BrandEAST JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY
Product / ServiceTOHOKU SHINKANSEN
CategoryB04. Long-term Strategy
EntrantDENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation DENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Production CREATIVE POWER UNIT Tokyo, JAPAN
Production 2 ICHIKURA OFFICE Tokyo, JAPAN
Production 3 COTORI-OFFICE Tokyo, JAPAN
Production 4 FUMIHITO KATAMURA PHOTOGRAPH OFFICE Tokyo, JAPAN
Production 5 YOKOHAMA SUPER FACTORY Tokyo, JAPAN
Additional Company DENTSU ON DEMAND GRAPHIC INC. Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
Takuma Takasaki DENTSU INC. Executive Creative Director
Yoshihiro Yagi DENTSU INC. Creative Director / Art Director
Hiroshi Ichikura Ichikura Office,inc. Copywriter
Waca Sakamoto COTORI-OFFICE Copywriter
Daisuke Hatakeyama Creative Power Unit Designer
Masashi Fujita Creative Power Unit Designer
Fumihito Katamura Fumihito Katamura Photograph Office Photographer
Koji Wada DENTSU INC. Agency Producer
Akiko Seino DENTSU INC. Agency Producer
Nao Namura DENTSU INC. Account Executive
Naoto Ikegami DENTSU INC. Account Executive
Masahiro Mashima DENTSU INC. Account Executive
Takako Yamada Yokohama Super Factory Photo Producer
Shinya Tamura Dentsu On Demand Graphic Inc. Printing Director

Why is this work relevant for Creative Strategy?

JR East had carried out many successful campaigns in the past, but they were all destination-based campaigns that featured images of tourist attractions — an approach that was not available to us because much of the railway's service area was still recovering from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. So we had to find a way to get people interested in taking a train trip to Tohoku without relying on destination images. The answer was quite simple: focus on the trains themselves, not the destination.

Background

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) is the largest railway company in Japan, and has an excellent reputation for efficiency. But as with anything that is pervasive, its high service quality and importance to society can be easily taken for granted. In 2011, however, a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck the Tohoku region, severely damaging the railroad network in northeastern Japan and causing great destruction and loss of life. With the railway lines that were the lifeblood of the region paralyzed, it became evident overnight just how important the railroad was to people's lives, and to society as a whole.

The Interpretation of the Challenge (30% of vote)

JR East realized they needed to not just rebuild the damaged railroads, but also take the lead in restoring the region and bringing people back to Tohoku. As a part of this effort, they decided to launch a communication program inviting people around Japan to visit Tohoku and ride JR East trains around the region. The key challenge was to develop a strategy that was sensitive to the mood of society in the aftermath of a great tragedy, and produce bold creative work that uplifted people's spirits, and provided long-term support for the region's recovery efforts.

The Insight / Breakthrough Thinking (30% of vote)

Japan is a nation of railways, and trains are so much a part of everyday life they are often taken for granted. Viewed from a different perspective, though, each train possesses a unique character, and can be interesting in and of itself. Presented in the right way, we realized the trains themselves could be attractions that would make people want to travel to Tohoku. In addition, many Japanese are fascinated by trains in their youth, and become avid trainspotters and railway enthusiasts. By using trains to tap into people's latent sense of nostalgia for the joys of childhood, we were able to strengthen people’s emotional connection to the Tohoku region, and to JR East.

The Creative Idea (20% of vote)

The initial phase featured bold graphic design in the signature colors of high-speed trains that run between Tokyo and Tohoku, and introduced our persistent call to action: “Get Back, Tohoku.” As the region began to recover, we saturated Tokyo-area commuter trains with over 100 different posters showing Tohoku's scenery and attractions. Inspired by conversations with train engineers, in 2014 we depicted local trains as heroes, and created promotional goods featuring the trains' signature colors and design motifs. In 2016, we refocused consumer attention with a dramatic shift from photography to illustration. In 2018, we created striking images of everyday scenes, and invited people to share their own images of Tohoku on social media.

The Outcome / Results (20% of vote)

The campaign has become one of the most widely recognized in Japan, and its slogan has become a part of popular culture—all on a much smaller budget than other prominent campaigns. The campaign slogan and images have appeared in countless social media posts, and been used by artists on tour and sports supporters cheering teams from Tohoku. Our advertising even appears in junior high school language textbooks as an example of how words can amplify and change the meaning of images. Travel to Tohoku has also recovered steadily. Between 2012 and 2017, ridership on high-speed trains to the largest city in Tohoku increased by 12%, and between 2012 and 2018, travel intent to the region doubled from 6.9% to 14%. JR East's corporate reputation has also improved substantially; among university graduates, it is now ranked the 16th most desirable place to work, up from 34th place ten years ago.

Please tell us about the long term strategic planning

We continued to change our creativity to keep pace with the reconstruction of Tohoku. Our creative strategy was brought to life in visually and semantically bold creative inspired by, and featuring, trains. The creative was then continuously updated to reflect the evolution of our strategy throughout the campaign's ten-year run.