If you were pitched this idea by your creative agency you might laugh it off. But you would be mistaken –these look really awesome.
The creative agency McCann Erickson Tokyo conceived the idea for Toyo Tire & Rubber for a summer campaign back in 2014.
“People don’t usually take notice of tires. Our challenge was to come up with a tool that would present tires in a way that would draw people’s attention while also functioning as a branding device for Toyo Tires,” said McCann.
The kimonos are even modeled by Toyo Tire employees.
This from McCann:
Brief Explanation
People don’t usually take notice of tires. Our challenge was to come up with a tool that would present tires in a way that would draw people’s attention while also functioning as a branding device for Toyo Tires.
Describe the brief from the client:
To develop and propose a communication tool that would build excitement at a non-car-related event.
Description of how you arrived at the final design:
The tread patterns of Toyo’s tires are a result of not just their high-level technology, but also well-honed craftsmanship that shares its aesthetics with traditional Japanese craft, such as kimono design. Thus we saw it fitting to draw a parallel between the tread patterns and traditional kimono design to highlight the artistic craftsmanship that goes into the creation of a Toyo tire. The analogy is a doubly fitting one as Toyo Tires traces its roots to a textile company.
Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market:
The campaign generated 4,000 tweets in just one day of exposure, with 43% percent of the tweets coming from women between the ages of 20 and 30. It was also picked up by a number of online media, many of which were fashion or culture news websites and blogs. As a result, the campaign succeeded in getting a wide range of people to talk about tires, including those that are usually not target consumers for tires.
Credits
Agency:Mccann Erickson, Tokyo, Japan
Executive Creative Director:Isamu Nakamura
Art Director:Masaya Abe, Kanta Kumazawa
Business Director:Aya Shimoe
Creative Coordinator:Chiharu Ozaki
EnglishTranslation:Kaori Mochizuki
Producer:Hiromichi Takagi
Director:Erika Konno
Cinematographer:Hiroaki Muranaka
Composer:Takashi Watanabe
Sound Designer:Keitaro Iijima Kobe Institute of Computing
Production Manager:Takashi Sato, Naho Matsushima, Shinya Hasegawa
First Assistant Cameraman:Toru Takao
Kimono Dyer:Eiichi Takahashi
Pattern Maker:Hiroyuki Aoki
Kimono Tailor:Shigeru Yoshida
