American Express is an official sponsor of the Tokyo Marathon 2018. But sadly, the race is over-subscribed with 320,000 applications for only 36,000 available places.

We were briefed to create an activation that would engage everyone who visited the Tokyo Marathon Expo 2018, in a memorable, relevant and tech-lead brand experience to increase brand awareness and recruit new card members.

In order to create an authentic experience of the Tokyo Marathon, it was important we pursue realism in every detail, so everything was created from scratch. The game itself was made by 3D modeling of actual Tokyo landscapes and buildings with billboards and logos (slightly modified) exactly the way it looks. The avatars were also made to act like human runners, motion captured from a real marathon runner, simulating movement such as, running, sprinting and running through goal tape with both hands up so participants feel like they are competing in the actual Tokyo Marathon

The American Express Finger Marathon was implemented during the weekend of the Tokyo Marathon from the 22nd to the 24th of February at the Tokyo Marathon Expo 2018. An event that attracts more than 115.000 visitors each year.