What is the new psychological process "TIGER" proposed by Editor-in-Chief Hayashi of Daily Portal Z?

At the Open Innovation Lab (Inolab), the research and development organization of Dentsu Inc. (ISID), prototypes utilizing cutting-edge technology are being developed. This series features Daily Portal Z Editor-in-Chief Yuji Hayashi freely proposing improvement ideas and presentation methods for Inolab projects. It is planned as a monthly series of six installments, but if it ends prematurely, just assume something happened...

This time, Editor-in-Chief Hayashi presented ISID's 3D sports motion analysis system "Running Gate" to Motoki Abe of InnoLab.

I made presentation materials even though I wasn't asked to

Abe: Let me explain a bit more about Inolab. Inolab's mission is technology-driven prototyping. We don't do research or surveys; we conduct proof-of-concept experiments to demonstrate how technology can be used.

Hayashi: And this time, the theme is Running Gate.

Abe: That's right. Professional athletes often use 3D motion analysis systems to analyze the characteristics of their form. We created this project thinking that if we could make a more affordable and simpler system, ordinary people could use it too, and it might make exercise more enjoyable.

Hayashi: It's like democratizing sports analysis.

Abe: We want ordinary people to use it too.

Hayashi: I looked at the site. Since the explanation focused on the technology, it would be good to add what benefits users get from it.

That's why I came up with this scenario. The concept is "a device that makes you run faster." The persona is an elementary school boy who struggles with sports. Elementary school is a society where being fast is paramount. The trigger is the sports day.

Abe: This persona is you, Hayashi-san (laughs).

Hayashi: Yeah, I was slow at running. The experience goal is "getting faster." The life goal is "a positive life."

Abe: But it says "be popular" as the life goal. And what's this "Second Puberty" at the end?

Hayashi: I wrote it in a rush and forgot to erase it.

Abe: That's the kind of word that gets printed in bold in health and physical education textbooks.

Hayashi: I created a customer journey map based on this scenario.

Abe: Sounds like something from Dentsu Inc.

Hayashi: If you take the first letters of each stage in the customer journey map, it spells Trouble, Interest, Guess, Experience, Repeat... TIGER!

Abe: TIGER instead of AIDMA.

Hayashi: You might think it's a joke, but the key concept driving this proposal is the "Tiger."

Abe: Yes, I think it's a joke. I hope it is a joke.

Hayashi: Considering what elementary school boys would like, the Running Gate shape is this.

Abe: (laughs).

Hayashi: Remember those shady adults selling educational materials near school gates back in the day? If we set this up like that, kids will definitely come running. I know because I'm constantly surrounded by kids during Daily Portal Z shoots.

When kids gather, the explanation should be in manga form. Shonen manga style. They won't understand "3D analysis." Hit products like Mini 4WD or Kamen Rider are always paired with content.

Abe: That's clearly Hayashi's artwork.

Hayashi: I drew it. I'll also prepare pamphlets for adults so parents won't get suspicious.

Abe: It looks like a health supplement brochure. It says, "It really does make your legs faster."

Hayashi: The people using it never say it's definitely effective, you know?

Abe: They get third parties to say it. The "individual results may vary" pattern.

Hayashi: You could also run it as a business, calling it training while generating electricity to sell.

Abe: You're tying it into electricity deregulation.

Hayashi: Since kids love YouTube these days, we'll launch a channel called "Trakkin" with a YouTuber.

Abe: Sounds familiar.

Hayashi: Use Running Gate on the way home from school, then boost motivation with Torakin after getting home.

Abe: What kind of things does Torakin say?

Hayashi: Trakin probably eats snacks or something. Also does vocal percussion.

Abe: That sounds exactly like him.

Hayashi: To keep the sports festival going, Inolab should host its own high-level sports festival. Maybe have some tough classmates show up as rivals from the neighboring school.

Abe: Not just a little (laughs).

Hayashi: And then, using Running Gate, they strive, win, and build friendship with their rivals. Friendship → Effort → Victory is the PDCA cycle for children.

Abe: Brilliant.

Hayashi: Let's make the website into a manga too. If we just write "Running Gate!" people might get wary.

Abe: Yeah, they'd get defensive.

Hayashi: That covers the design changes, ambush strategy, and growth hacking plan for Running Gate using YouTubers.

Abe: I'm excited to try it.

Hayashi: Let's build a tiger!

The YouTuber was Daily Portal Z.

Abe: I got stuck on the YouTube part. How do we leverage YouTube to expand?

Hayashi: I thought it might seem abrupt in the flow too, but I really wanted to include Torakin.

Abe: Kids love it, right? They don't watch TV anymore, just YouTube all the time.

Hayashi: How should we use it? Like, the YouTuber never says "This is great!" and just keeps it in the background the whole time? The tiger.

Abe: That's intriguing.
Right now, there are tons of YouTube videos just showing kids playing with toys. That's amazing. My kid loves Anpanman too, and there's this channel where siblings play with Anpanman toys nonstop. And that's all he watches. He doesn't watch the actual Anpanman shows.

Hayashi: Game playthroughs are like that too.

Abe: Yeah. They're watching people play.

Hayashi: YouTubers who just eat snacks are the same, right? They're creators but also users.

Abe: I'm really curious why that becomes content. Is it "empathy"?

Hayashi: Game commentary feels like watching someone play in the same room, right? Speaking of which, at AdTech, Takanori Nishikawa said online chats feel like talking with 4-5 people. Radio is one-on-one, TV is a crowd.

Abe: That's interesting.

Hayashi:...So how do we connect that to Running Gate?

Abe: That's a hint, right? I think the key is that it looks like they're having fun doing it.

Hayashi: Daily Portal Z is like that too. They just seem to be having fun doing it.

Abe: Yeah. Because they're having fun doing it, it becomes content. It's not that Daily Portal Z has particularly well-made products, right? I think that's probably the key.

Hayashi: We consciously try to look like we're having fun. You know how when you're at an izakaya and see the people at the next table eating something that looks delicious, you suddenly want to eat it too? We often tell our writers to aim for that effect.

Abe: That's true.

Hayashi: We want people to think, "I don't know why, but if that guy looks that satisfied eating it, I'll order it too." That's exactly what Koichi Yamazaki wrote in his book Dangerous Writing Lessons.

Abe: Isn't that just like YouTubers?

Hayashi: Oh, it is?

Turn the means into the end.

Abe: It seems like they do it because the act itself looks enjoyable.

Hayashi: There's the long-term goal of getting faster, but intuitively...

Abe: So first, we have to make them want to go through the gate.

Hayashi: Like it's filled with super fluffy fur inside, and it feels nice.

Abe: Or how slippery it is.

Hayashi: I want to make the Chinese restaurant with the slipperiest floor in Japan.

Abe: There are places with slippery floors, right?

Hayashi: Then we could make it even more slippery on purpose. If it's so slippery you can't stand up, maybe everyone would come.

Abe: I wonder (laughs).

Hayashi: You can't really convey physical sensations online, right? You just have to go. Daily also turns things that don't translate online into real-life events. Plus, I feel like things that do translate online aren't that interesting.

Abe: You just read it and move on, right?

Hayashi: The flow where Torakin gets all squishy at Running Gate, and then it's just there somewhere, is really nice.

Abe: It has that setup that makes you want to walk through it, while also capturing 3D data.

Hayashi: There used to be a service where if you sent an email to some address, it came back written in Kansai dialect... Turns out it was spam.

Abe: Hahaha.

Hayashi: But it's a win-win, right? Users enjoy the Kansai dialect conversion, and the sender gets email addresses.

Abe: It's the same thing.

Hayashi: Adding fleeting pleasures to this product—like feeling good, cold, or slippery—makes the motivation clearer.

Abe: Right now, it starts from wanting to check how your own form is.

Hayashi: Let's forget about making kids run faster!

Abe: After all that work building the growth hack (laughs).

Hayashi: Then we can start the customer journey map from "It looks fun and slippery."

Abe: Then it all clicks.

Hayashi: That's when breakthroughs happen.

Abe: It's actually easier to make someone who isn't that good at running a little faster. Easier than making someone who's already really fast a little faster.

Honestly, if you get someone who isn't really interested in running to come through, and then you can look at the data and say, "Just move your elbow like this a bit more and you'll get faster," then it's like, "Wow, that slippery feeling was fun, and my legs got faster too—lucky me!"

Hayashi: It's all good, right? Your clothes might get a little slippery, but that's about it.

Abe: You could do it in a pool. Doing it in a swimsuit is totally fine.

Hayashi: Doing this in a swimsuit must give you such a fulfilling feeling.

Abe: Should we make it like that certain carbonated drink commercial?

Hayashi: Just now, but seeing the actual Running Gate, it's not really a gate, is it?

Abe: It's not actually a gate. But if we build it, it becomes a gate, so that might totally work.

Hayashi: Gates are interesting. When you think of sports days, it's the entrance gate, right?

Abe: You almost always want to go through them. There's hardly a gate you wouldn't want to pass through. If there was one, you'd definitely want to go through it, right?

Hayashi: Humans have that too, right? Like when you point at a cat, you just have to sniff it.

Abe: It's instinctive, isn't it?

Hayashi: If there's a button, you just have to press it, right?

Hope this continues next time

Abe: This turned into a proper conversation, didn't it?

Hayashi: I thought the whole thing would end with Tiger.

Abe: Don't we both look like idiots now?

Hayashi: Like two idiots talking and reaching an idiotic conclusion.

Abe: Maybe they'll add one line—"Our journey still continues!"—and make that the finale...

(To be continued)