WORKS DETAIL
Let your imagination flow over the cake.
Awards
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GOOD DESIGN GOOD DESIGN AWARD
DETAIL
BACKGROUND
Bringing the Christmas spirit to convenience stores
Sales of Christmas cakes at convenience stores were down. However they were selling well at department stores and famous patisseries. Convenience stores accounted for only 5% of the market. As a leader in the convenience store industry, 7-Eleven wanted to promote the unique benefits of its own Christmas cakes to win market share from famous patisseries. So, we thought about Christmas—a special moment where familiy members show their love for each other. We also considered recent trends like 1) People having fewer children and being able to treat them more. 2) People freely sharing their experiences on social media. 3) During recessions, people prefer more DIY entertainment. We realized that simply promoting the existing cakes wouldn’t be enough to achieve the client’s goals, so we decided to propose an entirely new product that would cater to the needs and lifestyles of today’s consumers.
WHAT WE INVENTED
Gave families the gift of creativity through one-of-a-kind cakes
We proposed and developed a campaign that allowed customers to use their imagination to customize and decorate a cake. We took the lead of development and communication of the concept, website creation, movie production, various promotion and PR for the project. More than a product, we offered a unique experience that children and adults could enjoy together, freely using their imagination and creativity. The project started on the Internet with the phrase “Let your imagination flow over the cake.” Similar to the recent trend of sharing photos of creative homemade bentos on social media, “White DECO” cake would inspire people to share their own personally decorated Christmas cakes and spread the excitement organically.
Promote love and togetherness one cake at a time
Usually sellers offer a selection of pre-decorated Christmas cakes, however we delivered on a new set of value and surprise by allowing customers to create their own one-of-a-kind cakes. We extended a blank canvas that families could use to create more fun and spend time together. This concept aligned with 7-Eleven’s message to its customers of “creating convenience” with flexibility to respond to ever evolving trends. Since decorating the cake called on children to use their imagination, the concept also aligned with Japan’s recent educational shift toward more “active learning” and “active thinking” heading towards 2020. Parents praised the initiative and encouraged their children to try the experience.
RESULT
A quick sellout before the campaign ended and big buzz on the internet.
The project was popular on the internet and generated 10 times more Instagram posts, 1.5 times more Twitter posts and 2.8 times more visits to the 7-Eleven Christmas cake website page than with the previous 7-Eleven Christmas cake. About 20 companies that sell food products through 7-Eleven also collaborated on the DECO campaign using their own products and introduced them along with “White DECO” cake on their social media account, resulting in huge PR effect.
