LANGUAGE SANCTUARY – AD SPACE FOR PROTECTING ENDANGERED LANGUAGE

Short List
TitleLANGUAGE SANCTUARY – AD SPACE FOR PROTECTING ENDANGERED LANGUAGE
BrandOKINAWA TIMES
Product / Service70TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN
CategoryB02. Publications & Brand Collateral
EntrantDENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation DENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Production DENTSU CREATIVE X INC. Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
Yasuharu Sasaki DENTSU INC. Executive Creative Director
Ryo Seki DENTSU INC. Creative Director
Shotaro Takizawa DENTSU INC. Art Director
Shimon Tsutsumi DENTSU INC. Account Executive
Keita Asaoka Dentsu Creative X Designer
Rie Kawase Dentsu Creative X Producer
Hikaru Ichijo Freelance Illustrator
Akihiro Ohno Nissho Print Producer
Rei Ogawa Active Cine Club Editor

Background

OKINAWA, AN ISLAND PREFECTURE IN JAPAN KNOWN FOR ITS UNIQUE CULTURE. THE TRADITIONAL LANGUAGE OF OKINAWA IS ACADEMICALLY REGARDED AS AN INDEPENDENT LANGUAGE DIFFERENT FROM JAPANESE. THE NUMBER OF OKINAWAN SPEAKERS, HOWEVER, IS DECLINING EVERY YEAR, AND UNESCO HAS LISTED OKINAWAN AS "ENDANGERED LANGUAGE" SINCE 2009. OKINAWA TIMES, ONE OF THE LARGEST NEWSPAPER COMPANIES IN OKINAWA, WANTED TO TACKLE THIS PROBLEM.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

SOLUTION: WE CREATED A SPECIAL AD SPACE WHICH LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES CAN USE FOR FREE. BUT UNDER ONE RULE: THEY CAN ONLY USE OKINAWAN IN THIS SPACE.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

IN COLLABORATION WITH 10 LOCAL BUSINESSES, WE LAUNCHED 10 NEWSPAPER ADS WITH 100% OKINAWAN COPYWRITING AND UNIQUE ILLUSTRATIONS. WE ALSO HELD AN EXHIBITION IN WHICH WE DISPLAYED POSTERS AND A VARIETY OF GOODS ALL WRITTEN IN OKINAWAN.

List the results (20% of vote)

NOT ONLY DID WE DRAW ATTENTION OF WIDE GENERATIONS TO THIS PROBLEM, BUT WE DEMONSTRATED THE NEW POSSIBILITY OF UTILIZING OKINAWAN IN LOCAL BRAND

Links

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