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  • SUB CATEGORY :
    MUSIC
  • COMPANY ENTERING :
    TBWA\HAKUHODO INC., TOKYO
  • TITLE :
    JOURNA-RHYTHM
  • BRAND :
    JOURNA-RHYTHM
  • ADVERTISER :
    THE ASAHI SHIMBUN COMPANY
  • AGENCY :
    TBWA\HAKUHODO INC., TOKYO
  • CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER :
    KAZOO SATO
  • CREATIVE DIRECTOR :
    NOBUHIRO ARAI
  • ART DIRECTOR :
    KATSUYA ARAI
  • AGENCY PRODUCER :
    TAKESHI IKOMA
  • MUSIC PRODUCER :
    SEIYA MATSUMIYA
  • FILM EDITOR :
    NOBUO MITA
  • MEDIA AGENCY :
    TBWA\HAKUHODO INC., TOKYO
  • MEDIA PLANNING DIRECTOR :
    CHIHO MATSUMOTO
  • MEDIA DIVISION HEAD :
    MOTOKO NAKAO
  • FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :
    NION INC., TOKYO
  • DIRECTOR :
    KAZUMA KITADA
  • DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY :
    SENZO UENO
  • FILM PRODUCER :
    TOSHIYUKI TAKEI
  • ART :
    TAKAYUKI MITSUIZUMI
  • CURATOR & CASTING :
    HIROSHI KAWAMURA/NAOKI ONO
  • EDITOR :
    YUSUKE WAKITA
  • SPECIAL EFFECTS COMPANY :
    NION INC., TOKYO
  • MOTION GRAPHICS :
    MASANAO TAKEUCHI
  • SOUND DESIGNER :
    ERITO AYAKI
  • AUDIO DIRECTOR :
    DAISUKE KANDA
  • AUDIO EDITOR :
    RYO SANADA
  • PRINT PRODUCTION COMPANY :
    SEPT, TOKYO
  • PHOTOGRAPHER :
    YUSUKE MIYAZAKI
  • CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :
    "Journa-Rhythm" is a new idea that disrupts newspaper media - our oldest media - using HipHop music and a brand experience/activation that is so unique it will go down in the history of news media. It provides news through music to Gen Z audiences, a segment divorced from habitual news reading. Podcasts with interviews of artists and journalists are broadcasted to trigger a shift in mindset and outlook on the world for the youth of our nation.
  • THE BRIEF :
    Background & Situation;
    Youth voter turnout rate was at 32.5%, with only 2.5% purchasing newspapers.
    Gen Z in Japan had seemingly stopped engaging with the world around them. All they need is their insular community on social media.
    They are losing the urge to know about the world and the ablity to comprehend societal issues and their impacts.

    Brief/Objectives;
    This was a serious issue; not just for business, but for the reason-for-being for newsapers and traditional journalism as a whole. Asahi Shimbun - Japan's oldest newspaper company - devised a challenge; to engage in a completely new way and stimulate youth demographic interest in news media.
  • THE STRATEGY :
    Target audience was Gen Z youth, who don't read newspapers, don't vote, and learn about society mainly through social media like Twitter.
    Truly a generation isolated from society.
    To change the relationship between Gen Z and journalistic media, we analyzed their way of living in depth. We recognized that audio content,
    such as music and podcasts are deeply relevant to them. We invented a completely new type of reporting that combines the appeal of music with the power of journalism and the written word.
    We designed a wholly unique, music-driven journalistic communication architecture.
  • THE EXECUTION :
    We assembled Gen Z HipHop artists to cover major news stories. As news would break, they would immediately compose, create, write and release tunes based on the news stories, communicating their unfiltered and raw perspectives.
    It was nothing less than Breaking Music for Breaking News.
    Media channels were designed to engage with Gen Z by placing music at center. First, the track was released on music streaming services such as Spotify and videos were posted on YouTube and other video sites.
    Short-contact media such as Twitter and TikTok, saw edited videos featuring the most compelling parts of the song/video. Marketing our content as music culture, as opposed to newspapers, helped spread the word. Deeper brand experiences were delivered through long-form podcasts featuring discussions between jounrnalists and artists. This discourse and unpacking of the rap/lyrics stimulated listener thought.
    Always heated and impassioned, the dialogue (sometimes lasting several hours) shook up Gen Z.
  • THE RESULT :
    This branded audio content which revamped “old” newspaper media, shook up the relationship between journalism and Gen Z. It harnessed the power of audio to pique youth interest in societal issues. Not only was the music appreciated, it also fueled major conversations and discourse about media/journalism. The Asahi Shimbun succeeded in attaining the image as the most innovative newspaper company for Gen Z, the consumers who hold the key to the future.
    83M Twitter Impressions
    337% Podcast Downloads
    No. 4 in Apple podcast downloads in Japan
    134.6% Conversations started on news topics.
  • URL :
    https://www.asahi.com/ads/journarhythm/