Calpis Soda, a venerable carbonated lactic acid beverage launched in 1973, had needed a thorough brand reenergizing. To this end, this ad campaign was developed to generate online viral effects. Younger Japanese people today prefer “uncovering” the special appeals of otherwise unglamorous subjects online for themselves and then inviting their like minded peers to join them in favouring such items.Focusing on this fact, we intentionally chose an unglamorous theme for the campaign: namely, the sport of men’s rhythmic gymnastics. We made a 150-second short depicting the aesthetic purity of six athletes’ perfected, explosive moves to express the sizzle of the product, which created the intended online buzz.We also organized online the Men’s Rhythmic Gymnastics Calpis Soda Cup Championship, in which any web user was allowed to participate by posting a video of a rhythmic gymnastics performance.Posted videos were designated “recommended” on YouTube, and 70,000 users per day viewed them. As huge numbers of young people nationwide came to appreciate this particular form of athletics, the Calpis Soda brand became successfully reenergized.