RED RESTAURANTS DRIVE

Short List
TitleRED RESTAURANTS DRIVE
BrandTV TOKYO
Product / ServiceTV DRAMA
CategoryD01. Use of Brand or Product Integration into a Programme or Platform
EntrantHAKUHODO KETTLE INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation HAKUHODO KETTLE INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation 2 TV TOKYO CORPORATION, JAPAN
Media Placement TV TOKYO CORPORATION, JAPAN
PR TV TOKYO CORPORATION, JAPAN
Production TELECOM STAFF INC. Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
Shota Hatanaka Hakuhodo Kettle Creative Director / Producer
Yohei Terabaru TV TOKYO Corporation Producer
Naofumi Takiyama TV TOKYO Corporation Contents Producer
Yu Oota TV TOKYO Corporation Contents Producer
Kanako Aono TV TOKYO Corporation Assistant Producer
Erina Sakai TV TOKYO Corporation Assistant Producer
Misaki Yayama TV TOKYO Corporation PR Director
Yu Watanabe TV TOKYO Corporation PR Director
Yuhei Ito TBWA\HAKUHODO Inc. Art Director
Takahiro Ijyuin HAKUHODO Kettle Inc. Assistant Producer
Yurie Tsuneya HAKUHODO Kettle Inc. PR Director
Yusuke Sugai Telecom staff Co., Ltd. Director
Yuichi Onuma Freelance Director
Go Furukawa Freelance Director
Hiroto Hara BABEL LABEL Director
Toshiyuki Suginaka Gonshiro Co.,Ltd. Cinematographer
Yuki Tagawa Telecom staff Co., Ltd. Film Producer
Ryuki Ishikawa Telecom staff Co., Ltd. Film Producer
Hiroki Murakami OfficePSC Scriptwriter
Hayashi Mori AMUSE INC. Scriptwriter
Hiroyuki Yashiro Yoshimoto Kogyo Holdings Co., Ltd. Scriptwriter
Akihiro Takayanagi LUZ PROMOTION Casting Producer
Soichiro Motomura Telecom staff Co., Ltd. Assistant Producer
Yoshie Baba Freelance Assistant Producer
Kenji Maejima Guitry Editor
Tatsuma Furukawa Freelance Editor
Tomoko Hiruta Freelance Editor
Satomi Hara VICTORY FORD Makeup
Wakana Iwahori Freelance Staylist
Yusuke Sekine Freelance Assistant Director
Yuuki Nagasawa Freelance Computer Artist
Shin Okawa L MANAGEMENT inc. Visual Effects / Editor
Go Tanabe TAIYO KIKAKU Co., Ltd.  Special Effects Producer
Leo Otake TAIYO KIKAKU Co., Ltd. Production Manager
Denki Imahara Dadab Editor
Takehiro Kono Freelance Sound Designer
Tomonori Inagaki Freelance Supervision
Naoko Kumagai Freelance Photographer
Mariko Kojima Hakuhodo DY Holdings Inc. Account Director
Noriyoshi Kaizu TOKYO AD DESIGNERS INC. Designer

Why is this work relevant for Media?

‘The Red Restaurants Drive’ sheds light on how old independent restaurants have been hit hard by COVID-19 and are consequently on the verge of extinction. By using media power, we were successful in inducing viewers to support the restaurants. It is a road movie in which the main character travels around Japan enjoying dishes from restaurants that are on the verge of extinction. Utilizing broadcast media, the drama series was successful in changing perceptions of “old restaurants” as valuable, one-of-a-kind, ‘endangered’ establishments that people should visit right away. Many viewers actually visited the restaurants.

Background

TV TOKYO is a major television broadcaster in Japan. It has picked up and showcased many restaurants across Japan on various shows for years, yet due to the outbreak of COVID-19, many restaurants nationwide have been forced into a tight corner. Especially the old independent restaurants are now on the verge of extinction. It’s as if shop after shop is being put on a “Red List” for threatened restaurants. The objective was to create a new media of entertainment that would work to help save the restaurant industry; an endeavour particularly important to television broadcasters since restaurants account for a significant portion of any broadcaster’s programme of shows.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

“Red Restaurants Drive” The national TV broadcasting station got together to collaborate with 13 cities nationwide. We created a gourmet drama series during the COVID era, which picked up only “endangered restaurants”. The show’s format features a man on a gourmet tour of Japan, visiting these restaurants fighting for their survival. Each episode features real world restaurants on the brink of going out of business. The owners are mostly old, with no successors, and the shops are worn out. The history of each restaurant itself is the plot, and restaurant owner look-alikes were cast.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

When people catch wind of the fact that old establishments are closing down, they rush to eat at these restaurants before the doors close, and it often gets picked up on in the media. So we came up with a ‘Red List’ of ‘endangered meals’ - a list of old but valuable independent restaurants across the country on the verge of extinction - and created content alongside the list to help try and preserve these establishments. As well as our collaboration with TV Tokyo, we also collaborated with 13 local television broadcasting stations nationwide in order to reach a wider audience and increase the numbers of people that would take action.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

The show began airing on TV TOKYO in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and was subsequently released on several streaming sites, including Amazon Prime, hulu, Bilibili, etc. Furthermore, the series branched out into books, and even e-commerce. The entertainment was successful in changing the perceptions of old independent restaurants as valuable, one-of-a-kind ‘endangered’ establishments that people must visit right away.

List the results (30% of vote)

Utilizing broadcast media, the drama series was successful in changing the perceptions of old independent restaurants as valuable, one-of-a-kind ‘endangered’ establishments that people must visit right away. It generated a huge buzz in the COVID-19 period, encouraging many viewers to support the restaurants Detailed results are as follows. - In total, achieving an exposure of 30,000,000 viewers.(on TV TOKYO, Amazon Prime, bilibili, etc) - The sales of featured restaurants have dramatically doubled compared to before the drama series starts. - All episodes became trending topics on twitter. - the series branched out into books, and even e-commerce. And a new series is to come in 2021. Red Restaurants Drive aims to save the national restaurant industry.

Links

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