The Japanese compact minivan market is fiercely competitive. With the launch of the new Premacy, Mazda aimed to capture the heart of the market by positioning it as the ideal family minivan for strengthening family ties. Our challenge was to make the brand relevant to families and create a buzz.

The campaign was extensively covered in news shows and newspapers generating free publicity worth US$1.27 million. Sankei newspaper, a national paper with 2.1 million circulation, even gave the campaign front page coverage. The new Premacy's first-month sales were an astonishing 1,158% over the average month's sales in 2004.

Proving the campaign tagline - "The Premacy Ties the Family Together" - required an extremely long media space. Our creative comprised photos of 60 real families "tied" together, smiling, holding hands and having great fun. These linked images covered the 311-metre wall, creating the world's longest ad (previous record: 274 metres). By integrating the creative and media solution in a campaign that evolved from consumer insight, we succeeded in making a powerful impact on our target.

Tokyo Station's 311-metre underground walkway is a major route for commuting fathers on weekdays. On weekends, families from around the city frequently pass through the same area together on the way to amusement parks, sports events, etc. The ad was spectacular, causing looks of amazement followed by smiles from people as they were reminded of their own families at home. The message clearly connected with the target, burnishing brand image.

Our target insight was that what families want from their minivan is the ability to spend more time together. Our advertising message became: "Celebrating Family Ties", with "tie" being the keyword of the media strategy. The key was finding the right media space to convey the idea of "family ties." We selected a 311-metre underground walkway in Tokyo Station, a busy central station in Tokyo, and turned the entire wall of the walkway into a single media space. Until we negotiated the right to use the space, this walkway wall had never before been used for advertising.