Fukuoka/Tokyo, July 16, 2014 – A campaign to promote recognition among Japanese of Kumamoto Prefecture as a major producer of fine foods has won Dentsu Kyushu Inc. and Dentsu Public Relations Inc. the prestigious “Promotional Activity of the Year” award at the PRWeek Awards Asia 2014.
The winning campaign, “Where are my cheeks?! Mouth-watering, cheek-dropping delicious Kumamoto produce”, traced a personal loss involving the prefecture’s cuddly mascot character ‘Kumamon’ and helped Kumamoto enjoy a 10% jump in food sales last year.
‘Where are my cheeks?!’ also won a “Certificate of Excellence” for the award category “Public Sector Campaign of the Year” for public campaigns, and the “Japan/South Korea Campaign of the Year,” a regional award.
Dentsu Kyushu and Dentsu Public Relations were the only recipients from Japan at this year’s PRWeek Awards Asia event, held in late June at Marriott Hotel in Hong Kong and organized by the trade journal Campaign Asia-Pacific.
PRWeek Awards Asia 2014 attracted 525 entries from the Asia-Pacific region – a 42% increase on 2013 – each vying for recognition in 39 categories.
Each entry campaign was judged by a 42-person panel comprising industry leaders from PR companies, corporations and organizations, and the names of agencies submitting entries were removed to ensure impartially.
“The campaign was particularly successful thanks to Kumamon, whose warm character lent the promotion originality. It was also a new media plan and PR strategy where great attention was paid to contents design and structure,” Dentsu Public Relations President and CEO Takehiko Chikami said.
“We are thrilled that it successfully contributed to rejuvenating the livelihood of Kumamoto’s agricultural producers and increasing the brand value of Kumamoto’s produce,” he said.
Central to the one-week campaign were the mascot’s red rosy cheeks – symbolizing Kumamoto Prefecture’s “red” agricultural and marine products including tomatoes, strawberries, watermelons, beef and sea bream – which one day mysteriously disappear. The incident of Kumamon’s missing cheeks and their subsequent recovery earned Kumamoto wide media exposure as a food-producing region.
“Fusing creativity and PR together truly created an ideal model promotion,” said the campaign’s chief PR planner, Tadashi Inokuchi.
“By gradually revealing the contents such as progress of the cheeks search, we used our understanding of mainstream media, social media and SNS these days to continuously trickle information to effectively seize the public’s interest,” he said.
For the further campaign details, please visit our Web site:
https://www.dentsuprc.com/our-work/0046.html
About Dentsu Kyushu
Dentsu Kyushu was founded in 1995 as a regional advertising agency to prosper and grow with the local region. With headquarters in Fukuoka and six regional branches across Kyushu, Dentsu Kyushu is determined to provide solutions to the problems facing corporations and government organizations. Dentsu Kyushu has received several industry awards, including regional industry awards, beginning with a Gold Lion at the 2011 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Its 275 staff are communication professionals ready to support client needs.
About Dentsu Public Relations
Since its founding in 1961, Dentsu PR has provided support for a wide range of domestic and foreign companies, governments and organizations, as a strategic partner to enhance relations between clients and stakeholders. Its 235 employees, including specialist consultants in fields such as social media and digital marketing, enable the company to offer comprehensive support, from strategy proposals to creative solutions, in the areas of marketing and corporate communications.
For more information about Dentsu Public Relations Inc., please visit www.dentsu-pr.com