SUB CATEGORY :

USE OF BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT & CONTENT: DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA

COMPANY ENTERING :

TBWA\HAKUHODO INC., TOKYO

TITLE :

THE FIRST TAKE

BRAND :

THE FIRST TAKE

ADVERTISER :

THE FIRST TAKE

AGENCY :

TBWA\HAKUHODO INC., TOKYO

CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

KEISUKE SHIMIZU

ART DIRECTOR :

KEISUKE SHIMIZU/KANA TAKARADA

COPYWRITER :

HIROSHI YAMAZAKI/NANA KAKUTA

MEDIA AGENCY :

TBWA\HAKUHODO INC., TOKYO

FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :

TYO MONSTER/DINER, TOKYO

PRODUCER :

KENTARO KINOSHITA

LIGHTING DIRECTOR :

KAZUHIDE TOYA

PRINT PRODUCTION COMPANY :

S-14, TOKYO

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY :

KAZUKI NAGAYAMA

PHOTOGRAPHER :

KAZUKI NAGAYAMA

CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :

We challenged to counter the music industry that is full of "filtered music" that uses lip-synching, vocal effects, and excessive production, with a new genre of "unfiltered music" by creating one-shot content that captures the artist's real, authentic performances. By offering viewers a new liberating way to enjoy music, we sought to break away from the standard way hit songs are discovered.

THE BRIEF :

The major record labels (Sony Music, Universal, Avex, and Warner) has long faced the challenge of declining CD sales. In the midst of the industry transitioning to streaming services, the COVID19 pandemic happened. With lockdowns at a global scale, artists were restricted from live performances and participating in festivals, music companies needed to come up with ideas to promote their artists. That's where the concept of music content without filters became the big idea. Free from lip-synching, vocal effects, and excessive staging, this was a new music channel that sought to bring back the authenticity in music.

THE STRATEGY :

The channel made a conscious decision to hide any branding from any promotion of the channel thus allowing fans to feel closer to the music. New videos are uploaded twice a week at a fixed time, so subscribers to the channel can look forward to new content every single week.

THE EXECUTION :

In order to shine a spotlight on the artists, and their authentic performances, we created a minimalistic recording space with just one mic in a white studio. Even if a mistake is made or an accident happens, everything is captured being faithful to the one-shot rule. The following content was also created as additional content for THE FIRST TAKE channel: ・THE HOME TAKE: One shot performances from the musician's home shot during the quarantine period. ・THE FIRST TAKE FES: An online THE FIRST TAKE event with multiple sets by artists ・THE FIRST TAKE STAGE: Audition to discover new talents through one-shot filming.

THE RESULT :

・In just one year since the channel was launched, the channel surpassed 1.2 billion total views with over 66 million hours watched. ・5 million subscribers ・The channel has been viewed in over 219 countries, making it the channel with the most new subscribers in Japan in 2020. ・YouTube Gold Creator Award 2020 ・Regularly ranked #1 on the Twitter global trend list. ・THE FIRST TAKE has changed the way hit songs are made.