A beautifully simplistic and relatable story is told through culture, friendship, and line dancing. The artistic direction and concept is dripping in Japanese culture yet still understood by all, even without subtitles or dialogue. The attention to detail to honor each character and scene is masterful as the director takes their years of long form experience to the short form world creating a poetically cinematic piece directed with restraint and expertise.

The post-pandemic travel landscape has greatly changed, with travellers seeking greater authenticity, adventure, and cultural immersion. The 30-second spot does exactly that—it promotes unique journeys that deviate from traditional trips. As we re-emerge into the Japan market, our goal was to craft a brand platform that highlights the barriers we face when planning travel, resonating with the modern traveller's mindset, and showcases Expedia’s commitment to a new era of purposeful travel. ‘Step Out. Everyday’ which was uniquely designed for our Japan market, is not just a tagline; it's a creative journey that connects with the post-covid audience and conveys the people’s fundamental desire to travel.

Telling a story through culture, friendship, and line dancing, the artistic direction is understood by all, even without subtitles. The film is a feel-good story about three friends, Ruri, Hina, and Akari, who are caught in the routine of daily life while nurturing a passion for line dancing. Soon, Ruri discovers an attractive flight and hotel package to Nashville on the Expedia app, inspiring the group to embark on an adventure that brings them closer to their passion for dancing. The campaign is aimed at inspiring travelers to break free from the monotony of traditional travel and explore new horizons.

Two Step was the first spot in a global campaign as part of Expedia's new partnership as Netflix’s first global advertising partner to activate a multimarket campaign on the streamer’s ad-supported plan throughout 2024. As part of the partnership, Netflix will begin airing localized creative in respective markets this month. The content is part of Expedia’s “Made to Travel” brand platform and was developed by an in-house creative team. Through the deal, Expedia will run a variety of ads, including 15-, 30- and 60-second spots, tailored to each country. First up is Japan and “Two Step,” a brand new creative specifically produced for the Japanese traveler. “Two Step” tells the story of a group of friends traveling to the USA for their passion, line dancing. The global brand platform is localized to Japanese culture as “Expedia. Step out. Everyday.”

Our director utilized his signature style of restraint and simplicity and applied it to this beautiful story of friendship and exploration that is relatable in any culture. He captured the Japanese culture with precise expertise and experience, making sure to highlight the nuance and beautiful simplicity of daily life. Collaborating with his longtime DP and production team, they brought their distinguished style from long form projects to the short form world making everything feel elevated and cinematic.

Capturing this story required taking quite a journey, observing our three protagonists throughout each of their days in Tokyo, Japan and eventually landing them in Memphis, TN. Visually we aimed to capture a stylized and yet naturalistic tone that leant a familiar empathy with the characters’ journey and the authentic joy found at their destination. A simple yet beautiful human experience conveyed with such elegance, this production is a testament to the creativity and talent flourishing in Tokyo’s vibrant filmmaking community.