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  • SUB CATEGORY :
    RESILIENCE THROUGH CREATIVITY
  • COMPANY ENTERING :
    DENTSU INC., TOKYO
  • TITLE :
    EMERGENCY EEL EXHIBITION
  • BRAND :
    SUMIDA AQUARIUM
  • ADVERTISER :
    ORIX AQUARIUM CORPORATION
  • AGENCY :
    DENTSU INC., TOKYO
  • CREATIVE DIRECTOR :
    YUSUKE SHIMAZU (DENTSU INC.)
  • COPYWRITER :
    MIYUKI ITO (DENTSU INC.)/MOMOKA FUKUYADO (DENTSU INC.)
  • AGENCY PRODUCER :
    AIKO KURIKAWA (DENTSU CREATIVE FORCE INC.)
  • ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE :
    TARO OKAMI (DENTSU INC.)/IORI WATANABE (DENTSU INC.)/
    KOSHO HIMURO (DENTSU INC.)/ATSUSHI SUZUKI (DENTSU INC.)
  • PLANNER :
    TAKAHIRO KISHI (DENTSU INC.)
  • PR AGENCY :
    CATCHBALL INC., TOKYO
  • PR DIRECTOR :
    TAKANORI KUBO (CATCHBALL INC.)
  • FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :
    TAIYO KIKAKU CO., LTD., TOKYO
  • DIGITAL PRODUCTION COMPANY :
    D2C DOT INC., TOKYO/IMG SRC, TOKYO
  • DIRECTOR :
    KOICHIRO NISHIZAWA (GOZONJI)
  • TECHNICAL DIRECTOR :
    MASANORI MORI (IMG SRC)
  • FILM PRODUCER :
    RYOTA IZUMIYA (TAIYO KIKAKU CO., LTD.)/
    TOSHIMITSU FUJISHIMA (TAIYO KIKAKU CO., LTD.)
  • PRODUCER :
    TARO SUGAWARA (D2C DOT INC.)
  • CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :
    FORCED INTO LONG-TERM CLOSURE DUE TO COVID-19, AN UNPRECEDENTED SITUATION WAS OCCURRING AT SUMIDA AQUARIUM IN TOKYO WITH THE SPOTTED GARDEN EELS STARTING TO FORGET HUMANS BECAUSE OF THE COMPLETE LACK OF VISITORS. POPULAR FOR NORMALLY SHOWING THEIR FACES, THE 500 EELS BEGAN HIDING IN THE SAND AS SOON AS A STAFF MEMBER WALKED BY. THIS MADE IT DIFFICULT TO CHECK THEIR HEALTH. WE NEEDED TO REMIND THE EELS OF THE PRESENCE OF HUMANS. WE DECIDED TO TRANSFORM THE UBIQUITOUS SMARTPHONE TO A TOOL THAT COULD RESCUE SMALL CREATURES, HOLDING AN “EMERGENCY EEL EXHIBITION” WITH PEOPLE USING THEIR SMARTPHONE VIDEO FUNCTION FROM HOME TO SHOW THEIR FACES TO THE EELS THROUGH TABLETS PLACED IN FRONT OF THE TANK. BASED ON INSIGHT THAT MANY PEOPLE REFRAINING FROM ACTIVITIES HAD THE DESIRE TO HELP OTHERS, WE DEVELOPED A CAMPAIGN TO HAVE PEOPLE, WHO COULDN’T GO OUT, RESCUE THE AQUARIUM. ALONG WITH THE NEWS THAT “THE SPOTTED GARDEN EELS ARE STARTING TO FORGET HUMANS,” THE EVENT WAS DISSEMINATED AND WENT VIRAL GLOBALLY. DURING THE EVENT, THE LINES WERE FLOODED BY OVER A MILLION INCOMING CALLS FROM MORE THAN 20 COUNTRIES. THE EELS DID ACTUALLY START SHOWING THEMSELVES, TO THE GREAT DELIGHT OF KEEPER STAFF. WHILE MANY COMPANIES AND BRANDS EXECUTED COMMUNICATION THAT ENCOURAGED PEOPLE TO MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCE, SUMIDA AQUARIUM EMPLOYED A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE AND MESSAGING, SUCCESSFULLY HAVING PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD EXPERIENCE ITS BRAND IDEOLOGY OF “CLOSING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN PEOPLE AND CREATURES NO MATTER WHAT THE SITUATION.”
  • THE BRIEF :
    FORCED INTO LONG-TERM CLOSURE DUE TO COVID-19, AN UNPRECEDENTED SITUATION WAS OCCURRING AT SUMIDA AQUARIUM IN TOKYO. WITH THE COMPLETE LACK OF VISITORS, THE CREATURES WERE STARTING TO FORGET THE PRESENCE OF HUMANS. IN PARTICULAR, THE MORE THAN 500 SPOTTED GARDEN EELS THAT WERE ENTERTAINING VISITORS BY POPPING OUT OF THE SAND WERE DIVING AND HIDING WHEN KEEPING STAFF SIMPLY WALKED BY. THIS WAS A REAL DILEMMA FOR STAFF, AS IT MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CHECK THE HEALTH OF THE EELS. TO REACQUAINT THE EELS WITH HUMANS, WE FORMED AN IDEA TO ENGAGE PEOPLE WHO WERE STAYING AT HOME.
  • THE STRATEGY :
    WE TARGETED THE MANY PEOPLE STAYING AT HOME WHO FELT THAT COVID-19 WAS KEEPING THEM FROM PARTICIPATING IN SOCIETY. WE STARTED BY SHARING ON TWITTER THAT “THE SPOTTED GARDEN EELS ARE STARTING TO FORGET HUMANS.” THIS WAS INTENTIONALLY NOT THROUGH THE MEDIA, SO INDIVIDUALS WOULD EAGERLY SHARE THE NEWS. WE ALSO DECLARED AN “EMERGENCY EEL EXHIBITION” WOULD BE HELD, WITH PEOPLE USING THEIR SMARTPHONE VIDEO FUNCTION FROM HOME TO SHOW THEIR FACES TO THE EELS. THE EVENT WAS DESIGNED SO PEOPLE COULD EASILY PARTICIPATE AND FEEL HELPFUL, CAPTURING THE INTEREST OF THE PUBLIC SO THE INFORMATION WOULD GO VIRAL.
  • THE EXECUTION :
    ON APRIL 28, 2020, WE TWEETED THAT “SPOTTED GARDEN EELS ARE STARTING TO FORGET HUMANS” AND DECLARED AN “EMERGENCY EEL EXHIBITION” WOULD BE HELD, DELIBERATELY DURING THE STRING OF HOLIDAYS MAY 3–5 WHEN PEOPLE NORMALLY GO OUT. WITH THE SIMPLE SYSTEM OF USING SMARTPHONES TO SHOW THEIR FACES AND GREET THE EELS VIA TABLETS IN FRONT OF THE TANK, PEOPLE PARTICIPATED FROM AROUND THE WORLD. PITCHING THAT “THE AQUARIUM NEEDS YOUR HELP” RESONATED WITH THE POSITIVE EMOTION OF WANTING TO HELP OTHERS, WHICH WAS BURGEONING AS PEOPLE STAYED HOME. THIS ATTRACTED MANY PARTICIPANTS AND CREATED VIRAL BUZZ.
  • THE RESULT :
    THE FIRST TWEET IMMEDIATELY WENT VIRAL, WITH 120,000+ SHARES. ULTIMATELY, SOCIAL SHARES EXCEEDED 1.12 MILLION, TRENDING ON TWITTER IN JAPAN, AND ALSO IN LOCKED-DOWN COUNTRIES E.G., THE UK AND HONG KONG. WE RECEIVED 1800+ MEDIA MENTIONS, INCLUDING 22 TV PROGRAMS, AND OVER A MILLION VIDEOCALLS FROM 20+ COUNTRIES. AND THE EELS DID SHOW THEIR FACES. MORE THAN 2 MILLION PEOPLE, WHICH GREATLY EXCEEDS ANNUAL VISITOR NUMBERS, WATCHED TWITTER LIVE TO WITNESS. MANY PEOPLE EXPERIENCED THE AQUARIUM IDEOLOGY OF CLOSING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN HUMANS AND LIVING CREATURES. SINCE REOPENING, THE AQUARIUM HAS BEEN WELCOMING MANY MORE VISITORS COMPARED TO COMPETITORS.