Kumamon Makes His Hollywood Debut!?

The "Kumamon Cheek Loss Incident" campaign, executed by Dentsu Kyushu Inc. and Dentsu Public Relations (hereafter Dentsu PR), won the Bronze Award for Engagement at the "WOMMA Awards" hosted by the U.S. word-of-mouth marketing organization WOMMA on November 18.

On stage, left is Masahiro Wakuda of Dentsu Kyushu Inc.Center is Osamu Iguchi of Dentsu Inc. PR.

Satoshi Iguchi, Chief PR Planner at Dentsu Inc. PR, who designed the campaign's information flow, commented: "When Kumamon took the stage to accept the award, the international audience immediately fell head over heels for him. He possesses a charm that transcends borders. Winners of other awards quickly gathered to congratulate him, and a line formed for commemorative photos. He also shared his impressions: "He paraded through the streets, meeting all kinds of people. I think it was a huge success as his first step into Hollywood."

WOMMA stands for Word of Mouth Marketing Association, an industry group specializing in word-of-mouth and social media marketing. It annually honors outstanding word-of-mouth marketing campaigns, and this marks the first time a Japanese campaign has won.

The awards ceremony took place in Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA, where Kumamon received the trophy.