SUB CATEGORY :

USE OF AMBIENT: LARGE SCALE

COMPANY ENTERING :

OMNIBUS JAPAN INC., TOKYO

TITLE :

GIANT 3D CAT PROJECT

BRAND :

CROSS SHINJUKU VISION

ADVERTISER :

CROSS SPACE CO., LTD.

AGENCY :

YUNIKA CORPORATION, TOKYO

MEDIA AGENCY :

YUNIKA CORPORATION, TOKYO

FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :

OMNIBUS JAPAN INC., TOKYO

PRODUCER :

MASAKAZU KAGAMI

CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

SYNICHI YAMAMOTO

SPECIAL EFFECTS COMPANY :

OMNIBUS JAPAN INC., TOKYO

CG PRODUCTION MANAGER :

AIRI IWATA

CG SUPERVISOR :

HIROKAZU AOYAMA

DESIGNER :

YURIKO KATAGI

DIGITAL ARTIST :

YUTO KAWASHIMA

RIGGING ARTIST :

TAKASHI YAMAZAKI

LOOKDEV ARTIST :

TAKASHI NISHIDA

LIGHTING ARTIST & COMPOSITOR :

MASAAKI NAKAE

ANIMATION SUPERVISOR :

YUSUKE AKITA

ANIMATOR :

TATSUYA HIRAMATSU

SOUND DESIGNER :

INTERCITY-EXPRESS

CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :

Many outdoor digital signage installations in Japan are brightly lit like neon as a part of the building, or only perform the role of a giant TV screen that plays commercials and music video content. We came up with a concept to develop the CROSS SHINJUKU VISION screen to be a flagship for advertisers. The concept is “a virtual character’s address.” In Japan, there are many characters that belong to the cities, such as character billboards, Gundam and Godzilla monuments. So, we decided to use a cat, a universally loved animal. We created Japan's first virtual "character" that you can meet in Shinjuku. On July 1, 2021, a giant cat appeared on the 150m2 big screen in Shinjuku, Tokyo, one of the biggest screens in Japan. In the morning, the cat wakes up when the screen starts broadcasting. During the day it lazily watches passersby, sometimes talks to them in its language, and takes naps. At night, it goes to sleep as the screen stops broadcasting. The cat’s changing behavior over the day makes it seem as if there is a real giant cat living inside the screen and creates a more intimate connection with passersby. It was immediately covered in the media and went viral on social media nationally and globally: more than 5.8M views on Twitter, 141,000 likes, $490M advertising value in a month. The location has become a popular destination. The percentage of people-flow raised 67%. There were more than 1000 inquiries and 100 contents were actually screened. The project achieved its original objective of becoming a big-screen advertiser. Not only that, but a new, optimized ad was created using the frame of this cat, and produced by leveraging the potential of CROSS SHINJUKU VISION.

THE BRIEF :

Many outdoor digital signage installations in Japan are brightly lit like neon as a part of the building, or only perform the role of a giant TV screen that plays commercials and music video content. We came up with a concept to develop the CROSS SHINJUKU VISION screen to be a flagship for advertisers.

THE STRATEGY :

The concept is "a virtual character's address." In Japan, there are many characters that belong to the cities, that serve as billboards and monuments. So we decided to use a cat, a universally loved animal. We created Japan's first virtual "character" you can meet in Shinjuku. We designed not just as a commercial video, but as a landmark of Shinjuku, with the "presence" of a real giant cat living on top of the building.

THE EXECUTION :

On July 1, 2021, a giant cat appeared on the 150m2 big screen in Shinjuku, Tokyo, one of the biggest screens in Japan. In the morning, the cat wakes up when the screen starts broadcasting. During the day it lazily watches passersby, sometimes talks to them in its language, and takes naps. At night, it goes to sleep as the screen stops broadcasting. The cat’s changing behavior over the day makes it seem as if there is a real giant cat living inside the screen and creates a more intimate connection with passersby.

THE RESULT :

It was immediately covered in the media and went viral on social media nationally and globally: more than 5.8M views on Twitter, 141,000 likes, $490M advertising value in a month. The location has become a popular destination. The percentage of people-flow raised 67%. There were more than 1000 inquiries and 100 contents were actually screened. The project achieved its original objective of becoming a big-screen advertiser. Not only that, but a new, optimized ad was created using the frame of this cat, and produced by leveraging the potential of CROSS SHINJUKU VISION.