In the summer of 2023, the world experienced a record-breaking heat wave. The Japanese interior store Francfranc wondered if they could offer their popular portable fan to combat this heat and bring excitement to the hearts of girls, the target market.

Focusing on Japan's unique DIY culture of "DECO" (decoration), in which girls express the idea of "KAWAII just for you", Francfranc launched DECO LABO, an interactive event where visitors can decorate the popular Francfranc portable electric fan in any way they like.

The idea was to incorporate DECO culture into products and create a new form of commerce where even items to stay cool during the heat wave could be transformed into "one-of-a-kind treasures" for girls.

DECO LABO, a unique experience in which visitors can DECO the popular portable fans any way they like.

We focused on DECO (decoration), a unique Japanese DIY activity in which girls express their own KAWAII. The portable electric fans (handheld fans) that girls carry with them to school, work, and outings became perfect objects for DECO, offering an opportunity to become a favorite accessory for girls.The launch of DECO LABO website and events allowed users to DECO their handheld fans in any way they want. The website allows users to reference other people's DECO designs and to purchase a complete set including a handheld fan and parts that can be used to create their own DECO designs on their smartphones. At the event, approximately 400 handheld fans, with their own unique DECO, were used as canvases to show the freedom and diversity of what the girls are passionate about.

Francfranc focused on Japan's unique DIY culture, DECO, and decided to generate enthusiasm by incorporating it into its products. In order to reach young women, especially Generation Z, we created a special DECO website that allows users to easily DECO their own designs on their smartphones and share their designs on social media. In addition, 400 DECO handheld fans were displayed outdoors to allow people to experience DECO, based on the idea that the DECO handheld fans which express various forms of KAWAII, will spark excitement among women.

While there is a limit to increasing the number of units in stock to meet the diversification of customer preferences, we considered that incorporating DECO culture would generate a new form of commerce that would be created together by customers and manufacturers, and lead to increased customer excitement.

The special DECO LABO website, which allows users to easily DECO using their smartphone, was launched. Users can DECO any parts they like on their smartphone without restrictions, name their own original handheld fan, and share it on social media. The handheld fans and parts used in the original DECO designs can be purchased as a set, allowing for an interactive site where anyone can easily express "KAWAII just for you" through DECO.

At the same time, about 400 DECO handheld fans were created to express the unique KAWAII of each girl, and displayed at pop-up events for 10 days in Tokyo and Osaka, major areas where young women come together and have fun. The handheld fans, each with a different design, served as a canvas which created a frenzy of excitement as girls flocked to the event in the sweltering summer heat.

Everything that girls are passionate about was transformed into DECO, creating a frenzy surrounding the products.

Sales of handheld fans exceeded 1 million units, up 212% from the previous year. Social media posts and news mentions of Francfranc also increased 122% from the previous year. Girls could even enjoy the intense heat with their own individual interests and KAWAII excitement, creating a unique brand experience that embodies Francfranc's core brand value of "bringing a sense of emotional excitement to the daily lives of girls" and successfully increasing engagement.