General information
Country: Japan
Company: TBS Television
Client: TBS Television
Sector: Media
Time Period: January – March 2023
Media: Social media
Campaign objectives: TBS wanted to promote their drama series.
Context
The Japanese drama industry is highly competitive, with over 40 drama series launching almost simultaneously each season. To attract as many viewers as possible, TBS aimed to create an advertisement that leaves a lasting impression. TBS Television’s romantic drama series Hold My Hand at Twilight (2023) portrays the fluctuating emotional journey of a young couple. To convey the world of the drama to people around Japan and engage potential viewers ahead of its broadcast, TBS launched a social media promotion strategy called The Twilight Ads.
Creative Minds
This campaign utilized augmented reality (AR) to transform twilight itself into an advertising medium. Using the time-specific features of an application and GPS location data, an AR experience was created for the user. If the user pointed their phone cameras towards the sky between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m, voice messages and handwritten messages from the main cast were delivered directly to the viewers’ smartphones in real-time. The messages altered daily, which added engagement. Viewers could also share their own AR movie on social media, which created further participation in the campaign around Japan and a buzz on X (formerly twitter).
This campaign was orchestrated through a collaboration with TBS television and I&S BBDO. A video production company, Swift Inc., and an AR production company, CloudCIRCUS, also played a role in the creation.
Concept video
Results
The results were remarkable, with various twilight photos trending on X during the designated time, generating a total AR experience time of 1,229 hours. 58,626 photos were taken and shared, and 13 million social impressions were reached. The advertisement was not only a trailer for the drama but succeeded in having an impact all over the country. Posts and interactions were observed across Japan, including Tokyo, Kyoto, Hokkaido, and many more cities.
With the help of the campaign, the first episode of the drama trended as the number one topic on X globally. It also garnered 2.6 million views on TVer (Japan’s largest BVOD platform) within one week after its terrestrial broadcast, marking the highest viewership for a TBS Tuesday drama series up to then. At Busan International Advertising Festival MAD STARS 2023, the campaign The Twilight Ads was awarded the BRONZE prize in the Communication Design – Digital Design category.