At Tokyo’s Sumida Aquarium, which was forced into long-term closure due to COVID-19, an unusual situation was occurring. The creatures had become accustomed to the empty aquarium and were starting to forget about people. In particular, the more then 500 spotted garden eels, a popular attraction, began burrowing and hiding whenever aquarium keepers passed by. The keepers were tremendously saddened -- not only were there no visitors, but even the creatures they took care of every day had begun to forget them. They needed an idea for a way to remind the spotted garden eels about people, and to remind the people staying in their homes of the aquarium’s existence.

We decided to hold an “Emergency Eel Exhibition,” in which people could use their smartphones for video chats with the spotted garden eels. We shared the news that “spotted garden eels are forgetting about people” and promoted participation in the event by communicating the message that “the aquarium wants to show your face to the eels and remind them about humanity.”

We noted that many people who were staying at home had a drive to do something to help others. To direct that time and desire towards little living things, and the struggling aquarium, we adopted a strategy of sharing a message. We used SOS messaging -- “The spotted garden eels are starting to forget people. We want you to help them out by showing them your face.” Our aim with this framework, in which the aquarium and members of the general public worked together to solve a problem, was to generate interest and spontaneous buzz.

On April 28, 2020, we tweeted about the holding of an Emergency Eel Exhibition. From May 3 to May 5, during the annual extended holiday period, tablet computers were placed inside the Sumida Aquarium for the event. People could use their smartphones from home, showing their faces to the eels through video chats, reminding them of the presence of humans and seeing the joy felt by the aquarium keeper, all in real time. We also predicted that there would be a massive call volume and that many people would not be able to get through, so we also set up a live video feed that let people see other peoples’ video chats.

The first tweet was shared over 120,000 times. Ultimate social share surpassed 1,120,000, and the project became a Twitter trend not only in Japan but also in various other countries experiencing lockdowns, such as the U.K. and Hong Kong. In terms of media exposure, it was covered over 1,800 times, including reporting on 22 television programs, and there were over one million video chat calls from more than 20 countries. The spotted garden eels also began peeking their heads out from the sand, and the video feed showing this was seen by two million viewers, far more than the aquarium’s number of annual visitors. The project was a success, allowing many people to experience Sumida Aquarium’s philosophy of ceaselessly striving to bring people closer to aquatic life, no matter the situation.