Once the world press had left, the devastated Tohoku region of Japan suffered a communications void, affecting both its community and its support network. This threatened the unity of purpose Japanese people had discovered in the disaster, as well as the motivation of those faced with the heavy task of rebuilding.Ganbatte 365 ('Stay Strong' 365) was formed as an NPO to address this void, seeking to foster hope within the Tohoku community and maintain engagement with concerned outsiders.Starting a 2-phased approach, Ganbatte 365 captured stories of hope from the affected areas on video, using the Web and Digital signage in Tokyo and Osaka to share these stories. Having created content, the NPO relied on voluntary Media sponsors to spread the stories to over 4.5m people each week.In the second phase, popular blogs and Social Media were used to elicit messages of hope addressed to the people of Tohoku. The campaign was extended globally through the borderless use of social media, as well as prominent digital outdoor sites in Hong Kong, Vancouver and New York (Times Square). As the anniversary of the disaster approached, thousands of translated messages of support were shared with the people of Tohoku, with digital screens set up in 3 of the hardest hit Tohoku prefectures, cumulatively reaching over 12m people during this emotional milestone.

The campaign won the endorsement of the Japan Tourism Association, a first for an online campaign.

And the people of tohoku knew they were not alone.

Our plan was by necessity flexible. We had little idea of what we would find in the area of devastation, spending 3 months videoing the first ‘stories of hope’, frequently travelling back to Tokyo for editing and supplies. We worked from a loose template, with everyone feeling an urgency to rapidly produce content capable of fueling hope and outsider participation.Within a month, we had our first work on the big screens in Tokyo and Osaka, which did as much to spur us on as to motivate our intended audiences. 3 months in, we began to use Social Media more consistently. At this point, we began looking for the sponsors that would eventually accelerate our efforts beyond Japan, but this proved to be slower work.

Once it became clear that the first anniversary of the disaster would coincide with the intended global expansion of the campaign, we planned accordingly.

By producing 275 videos covering 34 stories, we kept the focus on the stories rather than Ganbatte 365 itself. At the peak of phase 2, the total reach was over 12m weekly. The coordination of social, outdoor and earned media elicited over 155,000 responses, and the volume of communication steadily raised the profile of Ganbatte 365.As a result, we received the endorsement of the Japan Tourism Agency, a first for any kind of online campaign. Another endorsement from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan has given us an ongoing PR role in projects supported by the chamber’s Tohoku Initiative, and expanding to initiatives by other foreign chambers and the Japan Society of New York.Along with providing much needed support, Ganbatte 365 has forged an ongoing PR mission in the reconstruction of Tohoku.