In Japan, sales of mozzarella cheese decreased in winter. This was because people bought it mainly for Caprese salad, so they purchased it only in summer when tomatoes were cheap. Since the market in the summer was saturated, the only way to grow the business was to boost sales in winter. To achieve this, we needed to invent a way to enjoy mozzarella with hot dishes that were popular in winter.

Halloween used to be the event of the year where Japanese people have the most fun. This year, however, they had to find a way to enjoy it at home due to the pandemic. We decided to shift the perspective; instead of dressing up and going out, children all over Japan could still have fun by dressing up their favourite cheese with AR technology, bringing entertainment to the dinner table.

Firstly, we thoroughly analysed issues around the dining table that arose during the pandemic. We then identified the insight that mothers wanted to treat their kids to delicious and entertaining meals without much effort. This desire seemed to grow stronger during Halloween, which is why we decided to focus on this season. We aimed to drastically change the boring, old dining table and excite children by providing the easy and fun entertainment of turning mozzarella into ghosts.

We developed an AR camera with twenty original spooky designs, so people could choose their favourite character, take a photo and post it, very easily. Their unique and cute appearance immediately grabbed the attention of famous Japanese YouTubers and Instagrammers. This, added to the momentum created by an original film that humorously described how to use the AR camera, sparked the Boiiing Ghost craze.

Soon after the campaign began, the number of organic posts dramatically increased and media exposure accelerated. The Boiiing Ghosts became a trending topic and succeeded in increasing the target’s intention of trial. Eventually, ghosts generated by users flooded social media timelines during the Halloween season.