Japanese Sake: "DRINK FOR TOHOKU [image]" Print Ad by Hakuhodo Tokyo

Type of entry: Sectors & Services
Category: Crisis and Issue Management
Advertiser: HANASAKE NIPPON
Product/Service: JAPANESE SAKE
Agency: HAKUHODO Tokyo, JAPAN
Advertiser HANASAKE NIPPON
Product JAPANESE SAKE
Entrant HAKUHODO Tokyo, JAPAN
Type of Entry: Sectors & Services
Category: Crisis and Issue Management
Title: DRINK FOR TOHOKU
Advertiser/Client: HANASAKE NIPPON
Product/Service: JAPANESE SAKE
Entrant Company: HAKUHODO Tokyo, JAPAN
DM/Advertising Agency: HAKUHODO Tokyo, JAPAN

Creative Director: Makoto Takahashi (TBWA / Hakuhodo)
Art Director: Yuki Tokuno (Hakuhodo)
Interactive Director: Yuri Yamamoto (Hakuhodo)
Account Planner: Sakato Takahashi (Morioka Hakuhodo)
Producer: Yumihiko Sawa (Under Bar)
Producer: Toru Takahashi (Aoi Promotion)
Web Designer: Ryo Kawaguchi (Hamstead)
Photographer: Eiji Yamanishi (Hakuhodo products)
Producer: Kosuke Orimo (Hakuhodo products)
Producer: Yuma Kimura (Hakuhodo products)
Movie Director: Hideharu Ueki (Hakuhodo products)

Describe the campaign/entry
After the Tsunami, Japan was attacked by another disaster called 'self-restraint': a silent pressure to restrain themselves from consumption out of respect for the victims of the tragedy. On the other hand, the people in the disaster stricken area wished for people not to restrain concerning the local economy, but their voices were not heard.

Our goal was to overcome an elusive enemy: 'the nationwide atmosphere of self-restraint' and to change public behavior. We invented 'aid consumption': consciously purchasing a disaster stricken area’s products with the intention of economically aiding the victims. We encouraged people to do 'cherry blossom viewing' - a traditional event of drinking Sake while viewing cherry blossoms - as a symbol of Aid consumption.

At that time, the governor of Tokyo ordered the public to restrain from cherry blossom viewing. We refuted immediately by putting up videos of sake brewers in the stricken area wishing for Aid consumption on YouTube.

The videos spread quickly on social media and were heavily featured on TV and newspapers acquiring media impressions worth US$33m without any cost. Eventually, the Prime Minister held a press conference to appeal the importance of Aid consumption and refraining from self-restraint. The sales of sake made in the stricken area increased more than double. Although 645 companies went bankrupt due to the disaster, none of the Sake brewers did.

This campaign was successful because it emphasised PR instead of advertisements, and showed 'personal requests' from the victims.

Describe the brief from the client
Our goal was to overcome an elusive enemy: the nationwide atmosphere of self-restraint; and to change public behavior for the sake of saving the stricken area from economic collapse. In order to gain the public's consent and sympathy, we needed persuasive proof and an effective means of communication.



Results


Our campaign acquired various media impressions at an ad value of US$33m without any cost. The sales of sake made in the disaster area increased by more than double. The government also started to develop a campaign for 'aid consumption' after the prime minister's press conference. 'The nationwide atmosphere of self-restraint' was completely swept away.

Although 645 companies went bankrupt in a year due to the disaster, none of the sake brewers did in spite of some sake cellars being demolished in the tsunami. The word 'aid consumption', which we invented, was registered into the dictionary as a new word in 2011.



Creative Execution


Speed was most needed because cherry blossoms are quick to fall. 2 days after the governor’s order, we released messages of sake brewers in the stricken area on YouTube. The videos were recorded through Skype because there was no way to go to the stricken area. We also opened a campaign site and Facebook page on the same day. The declaration poster we made visualised the national approval of the voice of the sake brewers. As a result of the massive media promotion, the video was heavily featured on TV and in newspapers.

The people who claimed that we should restrain for the victims had the ground swept from beneath their feet. Furthermore, the petition through the governor of the stricken area being successful, the Prime Minister held an emergency press conference to appeal the importance of aid consumption and refraining from self-restraint to the public following our opinion.




After the tsunami attacked Japan, the country was again attacked by another disaster called 'self-restraint'. It was a silent pressure to restrain themselves from consumption out of respect for the victims of the tragedy. Politicians and media also sided with it. TV programs, commercials, sports events, etc. were forced to be cancelled and sales decreased sharply in almost all industries.

On the other hand, the people in the stricken area wished for people not to restrain for the sake of the local economy and to prevent their local businesses from facing economic collapse, but there voices were never heard.




We invented 'aid consumption': consciously purchasing the stricken area’s product with the intention of economically aiding the victims, and encouraged the people to do 'cherry blossom viewing', a traditional event of drinking Sake while viewing cherry blossoms, as a symbol of Aid consumption.

On March 29th, governor of Tokyo ordered the public to restrain from cherry blossom viewing.

We took advantage of this opportunity to refute their claim with the persuasive voices of sake brewers from the stricken area. Sake is a traditional product, representing the stricken area; the brewers have been making sake, used for cherry blossom viewing, for more than 100 years. Their urgent wish, ' Please hold cherry blossom viewing and consume our sake', was sent across the country.

We thought that this message had a high news value because none of the media reported the real voice from the victims.