Our objective was to boost brand awareness by utilising the opportunity of Castrol’s official sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup. However, we had to solve the following issues: - Japanese interest in the World Cup is lowest in the past 16 years.- No media budget.

- No imaginable connection between football and engine oil.Hence, our idea was… ENGINE OIL + FOOTBALL = ENGINE-DRIVEN FREE KICK MACHINEThe idea was to develop an engine-driven, actual machine that would kick the world's fastest free kick. Though success was not guaranteed, we shared the whole process of its development real time on the project website and social media. On its completion, we held a public showing event with journalists and bloggers. Currently, we are receiving several offers to appear on TV, events, and exhibitions. As planned, we succeeded in creating long-term buzz from the start of development to its performance period.

Development Phase (August 2009-January 2010).Our press release announced the development of Castrol Ichi-Go through the media and bloggers. Upon development, we launched the official website and utilized YouTube, Flickr and blog parts to post updated events and photos.Completion Phase (January 2010)Our press release announced the completion. We conducted a public showing where we invited numerous journalists and the general public. Demonstrating the machine’s performance helped us to achieve maximised media exposure.Performance Phase (January 2010- World Cup Closing)We are currently receiving offers from the media and soccer-related organisations which will help us sustain exposure. Up until today, Castrol Ichi-Go appeared in the Yokohama Marinos Fan Day Event (January), Yokohama Marinos J-League Opening Home Game, and at the Kanagawa Toyota Showroom (March). For the future, we intend to facilitate the machine in TV programmes (several domestic programmes and one international programme) and World Cup related events.

The project was covered in over 150 Japanese media, and the media effect in Japan alone was worth 500 million yen. Google had over 2 million hits. The news spread to 80 countries, and received enormous media coverage around the world. We are receiving many offers from national / foreign TV, professional football matches, special events for football supporters and exhibitions at the Toyota showroom.