A new campaign from Onitsuka Tiger, My Town My Tracks, is a digital film and Instagram collaboration with three creative brand ambassadors exploring the creative idiosyncrasies of Tokyo’s neighbourhoods.
The campaign, which promotes the Asics Japanese sports lifestyle brand’s new Autumn/Winter 2013 Collection (AW13), aims to tie into Onitsuka Tiger’s heritage by showing the creative diversity of Tokyo’s back streets through the eyes of three local artists.
My Town My Tracks is fronted by brand ambassadors Asami (an aspiring artist), Que (a young actress) and Chris (an entrepreneur), who each take the viewer on a personal journey through their own Tokyo neighbourhoods (whilst wearing AW13 Onitsuka Tiger sneakers of course).
The interlinked journeys are captured through online video and 1000-plus Instagram images and the objective is to reveal parts of modern Japan not typically seen by outsiders or tourists.
They aim to form a candid voyage of discovery off the Tokyo tourist trail – ‘Three sneakers, Three stories, Three sides of Tokyo’.
Que showcases the brand’s new ULT-Racer line as he takes us on a personal creative journey through his Kichijoji neighbourhood in Tokyo.
While Que skateboards and visits bars, Asami takes the commuter train and shops in vintage boutiques.
And Chris (wearing Harandia) is out and about riding his bike through his local streets.
The Instagram pictures are shared through @onitsukatigerhq, the brand’s official Instagram account, and the videos across the brand’s YouTube channels and websites.
Each video end with a close-up on the sneakers and the name of the style.
The campaign was developed in tandem with digital agency Blast Radius Amsterdam, photographer Laurence Ellis (who directed and shot the campaign itself), while PR and seeding was handled by Renegade Media.
‘Being a Japanese brand, we are very inspired by Tokyo, so it was natural to want to share our experiences of the city,’ explains Onitsuka Tiger head of brand Lisa Hogg.
‘My Town My Tracks is about exploring the hidden treasures of contemporary Japan and our brand’s heritage through photography and film. The stories of our ambassadors and our shoes are authentic, fresh and powerful.’
Comment
This personal perspective from aspiring creative locals, does offer viewers fresh insights and a genuine feeling for urban Japanese life.
Often seen as something of an idiosyncratic and somewhat impenetrable culture, when seen through the eyes of true locals in this campaign Tokyo becomes a more personal and relatable place.
The campaign’s fine attention to detail helps portray a warming close-up of the individuals in the surroundings that influence them.
Their images are then echoed across both online and in-store marketing for AW 13.
Links
My Town My Tracks YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdAwCJK-SEU
My Town My Tracks Website
http://www.onitsukatiger.com/
My Town My Tracks Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/onitsukatiger
