?Combining Onomatopoeia and Fashion

The Japanese language is full of onomatopoeias that directly and intuitively appeal to the five human senses. Viewers choose one of the many onomatopoeias that appear on screen one after the other, such as Run Run (happy) and Waku Waku (excited). Their choices influence the styling of the model which interactively changes as the video plays. It offers a new way of experiencing fashion by introducing onomatopoeias into the mix.

?Japan’s culture of Kawaii

The selection icons are designed using unique typographies that represent each onomatopoeia, allowing viewers to make intuitive decisions. The entire app has a pop, manga-like visual style to align with Japan’s unique Kawaii culture.

Our models are real Instagram users who represent our target group.

We used three unique models who are popular on social networking sites such as Instagram to showcase various outfit options.

?Implementation

For a limited duration of three weeks between December 14, 2015 to January 5, 2016, an interactive video was made available on the official GU app.

The video is an online fashion show using onomatopoeias and interactive features which showcase products to be launched during the winter of 2016. The users first choose one of three models and then choose onomatopoeias that fit the user's current mood, such as Run Run (happy) or Waku Waku (excited). The model’s clothing and accessories as well as the music will change based on the user’s choices. If there are any products of interest, the user can immediately check the name of the products and price in the app, and purchase the items directly on GU’s EC store.

?Onomato-mix Ruko version

http://www.vawari.com/video/gu/ruko.html

?Onomato-mix Tomoko Nozaki version

http://www.vawari.com/video/gu/nozaki.html

?Onomato-mix Ai Arai version

http://www.vawari.com/video/gu/arai.html

?Results

Goal: Disseminate brand message

Result: Reached a high standard, with 80% viewing completion rate. It can be said the brand message has been effectively delivered.

Goal: Reach potential customer base

Result: The video was played over 200,000 times over the three weeks, and there was a large number of first time viewers.

*Generally when the brand releases TV commercials on YouTube, the average number of views is between 50,000 and 100,000.