AWARDS :

BRONZE

SUB CATEGORY :

BEST NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH/RE-LAUNCH AT RETAIL

COMPANY ENTERING :

TBWA\HAKUHODO INC., TOKYO

ENTRY TITLE :

TRUE WETSUITS

BRAND :

WETSUITS

ADVERTISER :

QUIKSILVER JAPAN

AGENCY :

TBWA\HAKUHODO, TOKYO

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER :

MIKI MATSUI

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

KAZOO SATO

CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

KAZOO SATO

COPYWRITER :

TAKAHIRO HOSODA

ART DIRECTOR :

KEISUKE SHIMIZU

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR :

TAKANOBU NOSO

INTERACTIVE :

TETSU SUZUKI

INTERACTIVE DESIGNER :

YURI MORIMOTO

PR PLANNER :

HIDEYUKI KOBAYASHI/WATARU SEKI

INTERACTIVE PRODUCER :

YUSUKE YAMANAKA

FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :

TAIYO KIKAKU CO.,LTD., TOKYO

DIRECTOR :

TAKUMI SHIGA

CINEMATOGRAPHER :

MAKOTO OKUGUCHI

FILM PRODUCER :

TEPPEI OHNO

HAIR & MAKE-UP :

SHINJI KONISHI

STYLIST/WARDROBE :

SHINICHI MITA

MAKING DIRECTOR :

TOMOHIRO SUZUKI

SPECIAL EFFECTS COMPANY :

AID-DCC INC., TOKYO

SOUND PRODUCTION COMPANY :

AUDIOFORCE, TOKYO

THE BRIEF :

IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE OF SALARYMAN BY BRINGING THEM BACK TO THE BEACH AND MAKE THEM FALL IN LOVE WITH THE SURFING AGAIN.

THE STRATEGY :

SURFING IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR SPORTS IN JAPAN. HOWEVER, THE UNFORTUNATE TRUTH IS THAT 90% OF YOUNG JAPANESE SURFERS HANG UP THEIR WETSUITS FOR GOOD ONCE THEY START WORKING IN THE REAL WORLD. SADLY, BETWEEN THE BRUTAL EARLY MORNING COMMUTES AND THE EYE-BURNING LATE NIGHTS, THERE IS NO TIME FOR SALARYMEN TO HIT THE BEACH AND PRACTICE WHAT WAS ONCE THEIR WAY OF LIFE. QUIKSILVER, AS THE WORLD’S LEADING SURF BRAND, WANTED TO BRING THESE MEN BACK TO THE BEACH AND REMIND THEM WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO SURF, HOPEFULLY IMPROVING THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE PROCESS.

THE EXECUTION :

INTRODUCING THE ‘TRUE WETSUITS’. ONE HUNDRED PER CENT WATERPROOF, ‘TRUE WETSUITS’ IS THE WORLD FIRST INNOVATION YOU CAN WEAR BOTH IN WATER AND IN THE OFFICE. THERE ARE THREE STYLES – OFFICE SMART, NAVY SEAL AND PARTY TUXEDO – EACH ‘TRUE WETSUITS’ COMES WITH A PEN-SHAPED COMMUNICATION DEVICE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO AUTOMATICALLY SEND AN “EXCUSE E-MAIL” IF YOU’RE TOO BUSY HAVING FUN IN THE WATER. IN ADDITION TO SHOWCASING THE COLLECTION, OUR WEBSITE ALSO FEATURES A ‘SURFER’S MARKET REPORT” – LINKING THE COMING DAY’S SURF FORECAST WITH THAT OF THE STOCK MARKET.

THE RESULT :

‘TRUE WETSUITS’ BECAME A WORLDWIDE SENSATION. THE 2015 MODEL SOLD OUT WITHIN THREE DAYS OF ITS LAUNCH, AND MORE ORDERS ARE FLOCKING IN ALL THE WAY TO 2016 DELIVERY. IT HAS ACCUMULATED OVER 10 MILLION IMPRESSIONS IN JAPANESE MEDIA AND OVER 120 MILLION IMPRESSIONS GLOBALLY, AND FEATURED IN OVER 100 ONLINE STORIES AND BLOGS UP TO TODAY. ‘TRUE WETSUITS’ HAS NOT ONLY BROUGHT BACK THE MEN WHO ONCE TRADED THEIR WETSUITS FOR BUSINESS SUITS, BUT REVOLUTIONIZED THEIR WORK-LIFE BALANCE. CREATING A MOVEMENT AMONG THE OFFICE WORKING SURFERS TO SURF BEFORE GOING TO THE OFFICE. A POWERFUL IDEA THAT BROUGHT BACK THE YOUNG JAPANESE WORKERS FROM THE BOARDROOM TO THE SURFBOARD. A TRUE PR EFFECTIVENESS ACHIEVED THROUGH PRODUCT ATTRACTIVENESS THAT STOKED THE INSIGHT OF THE SURFERS AS WELL AS WORLDWIDE MEDIA.