Our multi-channel launch campaign for Canva showcases the platform's promise that anyone can use it to create impressive visual materials without the need for extensive design education. But there's a small problem with this: people will find it hard to believe that those with no prior design experience could make such brilliant designs.

'Make it Unbelievable' features Takeshi Kitano, the world-known auteur celebrated for his comedy and yakuza films, and Gekidan Hitori, a Japanese filmmaker and actor who recently made a biopic based on Kitano's life. Picked for their well-known on-screen personas, they quickly revert to these when a proud Kitano shows Gekidan Hitori a presentation he has created on Canva for his new venture. It's of such a high standard, that Hitori doesn't believe Kitano actually made it himself and tells him so. Things go sideways from there and escalate to a dramatic degree, with both stars sticking to their versions till the bitter end. 

For the second chapter of our “Make it Unbelievable” campaign, Takeshi Kitano and Gekidan Hitori are back, this time as rival daimyos in the Sengoku era. After years of war, they have finally agreed to put an end to hostilities. To celebrate, Kitano made a stunning SNS post. He proudly shows it to Hitori, who, smirking, refuses to believe Kitano could've created something so pretty. The disbelief escalates quickly—threatening not just their truce, but the entire nation!

For the third episode of the “Make it Unbelievable” trilogy, Takeshi Kitano returns as the CEO of a fashion brand poised to take over Japan's couture scene. But when Kitano discovers that his franchisees have been messing with his logo, he's the one in disbelief.

https://www.brandinginasia.com/canva-launches-funny-campaign-film-in-japan-starring-takeshi-kitano-and-gekidan-hitori-make-it-unbelievable/

https://lbbonline.com/news/medieval-japanese-lords-craft-unbelievable-social-posts-in-canva

Make it Unbelievable

When you pair up two celebrities with little in common except a growling appetite, you get some pretty off-the-wall comedy. And a roaring success. 

Our launch campaigns for Uber Eats Japan feature the likes of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Kei Nishikori, Nana Komatsu and Hiroshi Abe. Megastar duos declared their cravings across TV spots, bite-sized social media clips and humongous billboards at Shibuya Crossing. Not long after the launch, Uber Eats became Japan's no.1 food delivery service. Yum.

Ranked #1 most effective ad campaign of 2020 by Nikkei Shimbun.

「今夜、私が見るのは…」　2020年効果的だったCM10選

Uber Eats」日本版CM は錦織圭選手＆くっきー！のラリー合戦

Uber EatsのテレビCM第2弾、黒柳徹子と小松菜奈がヘアアレンジに挑戦！

黒柳徹子と小松菜奈がUber Eatsの新CMで共演　「今夜、私が頂くのは…」

黒柳徹子と小松菜奈「今夜私がいただくのは…」

【動画】小松菜奈＆黒柳徹子、料理名をかみまくり！　アドリブも満載　「Uber Eats」新CMのNGシーン公開

Uber Eats ウーバーイーツ「今夜、私が頂くのは」 黒柳徹子 小松菜奈

黒柳徹子＆小松菜奈が「Uber Eats」新CMに

ウーバーイーツ最新CMで女優小松菜奈＆黒柳徹子が共演｜豪華すぎる組み合わせが話題に。

Oddballs meet meatballs

UltraSuperNew had the privilege to be the lead Agency of Record for Heineken Japan from 2012 - 2017. We changed the perception of Heineken in Japan by turning the brand into a premium brand. 

To support the Japanese launch of the new Heineken bottle and promote bottle drinking culture, USN created a place where the target audience can experience the Heineken world in a hip and upscale environment. The purpose of this was to maximize exposure of the new Heineken bottle, and have Japanese opinion leaders experience the brand as it is intended to be: premium, innovative, and progressive.

Together with the widely renowned firm, Klein Dytham architecture, we transformed a former shopping mall into an unforgettable space that whisked people away to the premium world of Heineken. In a span of 5 weeks, and with the cooperation of Tokyo's top promoters, we held 30 events. Whether it was related to sports, design, or music, the Heineken Star Lounge framed the event and created a hub of activity for consumers.

To celebrate Heineken's "Cities of the World" global campaign, Heineken produced a set of bottles with one of six global cities printed on it: Tokyo, Berlin, Amsterdam, New York, London and Rio de Janeiro. To launch the campaign we designed, choreographed, and coordinated a VIP launch party around the limitless 360 degree cityscape views in Tsukiji / Ginza at Restaurant Luke.

The creative strategy was built around anticipation, designed in stages, and culminated in an announcement revealing the new Tokyo City Bottle to opinion leaders. 300 selected guests and press dined on hors d'oeuvres featuring each nation while dancing on two patios off the 47th floor overlooking views of both Tokyo Tower and Skytree. We invited celebrity DJ Max Chipchase from LA to spin in a booth built out of 450+ Heineken Tokyo City Bottles. To provide an unexpected way experience the city, we designed a pair of kaleidoscope films combining Tokyo city imagery and Heineken "Open Your Bottle To Open The City" content. A special viewing of the new two minute "The City" TVC aimed viewers to discover and go their beyond limits.

Heineken's global "Shape Your City" campaign needed to be conceptualized for Japan, in a way that would contextualize it to the country and get the local creative community excited. 

The Japanese love acronyms and wordplay and nothing shows that a brand has found its place in Japan better than when its name becomes part of the language. For example Starbucks is 'Stabba', while McDonald's is 'Maccu'. We Japanized Heineken into: 杯音圏 (Hai-Ne-Ken). Thanks to thousands of years of fortuitous evolution, Heineken was uniquely blessed to claim this fitting Japanese name:

Independently these are three simple characters, but together mean: "place where the sound of cheers is all around you".....perfect!

To stake a claim on this discovery, we made this place a reality for the "shape the city" campaign to bring the Heineken brand to life for Japanese consumers. The campaign took the form of a month long party allowing artists to shape an experiential space called "杯音圏 (Hai-Ne-Ken)". Musicians, graffiti/street artists and illustrators took over an entire gallery, working together to create different soundscapes and visual worlds, for over a month. With effective seeding, organic coverage and word-of-mouth, it quickly became Heineken's home and hub for our target Tokyo's creative community. 

We received over 1,3 million social media engagements - a record high for Heineken Japan!

“Shape Your City” Music and Art Pop-Up

UltraSuperNew kicks off summer party season with a mix of live painting and music

Heineken Star Room is a series of events Heineken created to bring together "cutting edge dance music, light, art and technology". On the 9th of April 2016, we took over Ageha, which is one of the largest clubs in Tokyo to produce the event for over 2,500 fans. Collaborating with one of the biggest EDM acts, BINGO PLAYERS, we executed the iconic Heineken Moment, which is the moment the entire crowd glow with the famous Heineken green with lights, lasers and the Orb, which is a 360° screen projection sphere, making the night unforgettable for all the fans.

Want to meet new people in a city the size of Tokyo? Put them in the back seat and take them wherever they want to go! #OpenYourCity. Consumers can apply to win their city adventure with the Star Cab in partnership with Time Out magazine: Open your bottle, to open the city!

Heineken Green Room Sessions are a series of events which we created to bring together "cutting edge music, light, art and technology". On the 7th of June 2014, we took over the largest club in Tokyo at ageHa to 2,500+ fans. The sold-out event featured DJ's Daishi Dance & Laidback Luke and light-artist James Clar.

We branded and choreographed the event and designed not only the collateral but lighting, bar design, finger food and photo-booth, 2 Heineken Taxis and a large outdoor video globe. We collaborated with New York guest light-artist James Clar to build a glow wall installation for a group of artists to graffiti and interact using lasers. We also had the Japan premiere of the interactive sensor activated wristband, and the new can design with Heineken branded vending-machine wraps.

Something to toast about.