Background

Even before 2020 and its flood of (mostly) bad news, people had a hard time disconnecting from their phones. Nowadays, even mealtimes are at risk of disruption: 75% of Japanese consumers claim they cannot concentrate on their meals because of digital distractions, and 1 in 3 feels stressed over incoming messages or alerts while eating. In Japan, one of the biggest importers of mackerel from Norway, the fresh, fatty fish is a healthy staple. Sadly, its reinvigorating effects can be neutralized by digital intrusions. Our task was to come up with a PR-worthy novelty idea that highlighted the need for a digital disconnection and presented Norwegian mackerel as the perfect meal to take a break from it all. We worked with a limited budget of 2.7M yen (around 26k USD) to cover for: concepting, designing, producing, and executing, so making the most of every cent was imperative.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

In such an unstable context, we decided to push the instability even further. To reach out to the hyper-connected stay-at-home and work-from-home men and women of Japan, we created the Balance Plate: a seemingly useless piece of tableware that comes with a single leg and will spill your food unless you stabilize it. How? By placing your phone as the missing foundation. This beautiful (yet quirky) object poses a simple question to the diner: are they going to chomp down their food whilst mindlessly scrolling on their social media feeds, or enjoy a precious digital break, whilst fully appreciating the delicious and reinvigorating mackerel dish in front of them.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

We devised the Balance Plate’s look together with a master wood artisan. Its minimalist aesthetic follows the proportions and finishes of traditional tableware used in Japan to eat fish, but comes with a slit underneath especially designed to fit most cellphone models. We launched the product via a PR push, presenting it with a tongue-in-cheek, mega-chic, lifestyle photoshoot, and created an ultra-limited batch of just 15 plates. We sent five of these to key media/influencers, and the other ten we gave away to eager fans through social media.

List the results (20% of vote)

Featured by over 100 national and international media outlets. Earned ¥61,043,864 in PR value. 2,722,632 impressions.