Everyone has a "battle they absolutely cannot lose."

TV Asahi × Corporate "The Misanga Project: We Can't Lose" Becomes a Social Movement

 

Excerpt from the "Challenge to THE NEW VALUE OF TV/RADIO" feature published in the September issue of Synapse (released September 25).

 

The phrase "There is a battle we absolutely cannot lose" is widely recognized as the tagline for TV Asahi's broadcasts of Japan's national soccer team. The "Misanga Project: A Battle We Cannot Lose to Anyone" was a collaborative campaign built around this key phrase. Participation exceeded 150,000 people in just one month, creating a social movement. Aoyama Ryuichi from the Synapse editorial department delves into the story behind the campaign with TV Asahi's Kato Akifumi, Cross Sports Marketing's Nakamura Takaaki, and Dentsu Inc.'s Hattori Nobuaki and Kawasaki Hiroshi.

 

Using "that phrase" from TV Asahi's soccer broadcasts to energize all sports.

 

Aoyama: "Mr. Nakamura, at Cross Sports Marketing, you handle promotions for Xebio and others. Are there other areas you focus on besides retail?"

Nakamura: "We're involved in managing sports facilities, operating professional sports clubs, and running professional leagues. For example, with professional sports clubs, when Tokyo Verdy 1969 faced bankruptcy, I joined as an outside director to support its revitalization. Starting with a deficit of about 400 million yen, we turned it profitable in about six years. The core of our current initiatives is creating value in sports entertainment. Historically, sports retailers sold products within the sports and events that were activated by TV networks, manufacturers, and sports organizations. To put it bluntly, we were 'picking up the profits'. But now, with the emergence of various forms of entertainment, the diversification of leisure activities, and the progression of Japan's aging and declining population, I began to think that simply "selling products and calling it a day" wasn't enough. We want to pursue a dual approach: elevating the value of sports for consumers and society, and actively energizing the market ourselves. This, in turn, will significantly expand the field in which we operate."

Aoyama: "And that's when the collaboration with TV Asahi began, right?"

Kato: "Originally, TV Asahi used the tagline 'There is a battle they absolutely cannot lose' during broadcasts of the Japanese national soccer team. But I always thought, 'Actually, doesn't this phrase apply to many different situations?' By making more people aware of this phrase, I hoped that ultimately, through the World Cup Asian final qualifiers starting this September, all of Japan would unite and get excited."

Aoyama: "This slogan has been used for quite a long time, hasn't it?"

Kato: "It first appeared in 2001 when TV Asahi acquired the broadcast rights for the AFC (Asian Football Confederation). Back then, Japan had only advanced past the World Cup Asian final qualifying round once, and the Olympics were also a situation where we had just barely made it through qualifying for the Atlanta Games after a long time. I understand this phrase was born from the belief that unless we establish a solid position within Asia, we couldn't make our mark on the world stage. Hearing this phrase, they wanted it to convey, 'This is a Japan national team soccer match broadcast by TV Asahi.'"

Aoyama: "How did this collaboration come about for Xebio?"

Nakamura: "Everyone knows 'We absolutely cannot lose~,' but I always thought it was just a 'promotional catchphrase for soccer broadcasts.' However, this time, Dentsu Inc. initially proposed, 'Let's take this phrase, rooted in soccer context, and expand it to more sports, deepening it into a meaningful phrase for society as a whole.' The phrase 'We absolutely cannot lose~' aligns perfectly with our company's vision to elevate the value of sports. Through this project with TV Asahi, we can expand its reach beyond soccer to other sports and society as a whole. Creating such a movement together would be incredibly meaningful for our company."

Not just PR, but to make the message their own.

 

Aoyama: "What steps did Dentsu Inc. CP6 Department take to reach this collaboration?"

Kawasaki: "First, Xebio had set its 2016 goals and faced the challenge of attracting more new customers to achieve them. At the same time, TV Asahi approached us wanting to boost sports excitement this year under the concept frame 'Absolutely Can't Lose~'. I thought these could be combined. So I proposed to Xebio: 'Let's create a collaborative campaign with TV Asahi under the theme of sports promotion to spark a social movement.' I believe they resonated with that idea."

Aoyama: "How did the process lead to the 'miscanga' concept?"

Kato: "The friendship bracelet has deep ties to soccer and easily unites everyone's feelings, so the discussion wrapped up smoothly."

Aoyama: "How are you promoting the friendship bracelets?"

Nakamura: "Primarily through three channels. First, TV Asahi's broadcasting power. This is a media push to spread it instantly across Japan. Second, the approximately 32 million customers who pass through the registers annually at our roughly 160 'Super Sports Xebio' stores nationwide. Here, we have direct contact points. Third, connecting these is digital. We plan to have TV Asahi develop a project site within their capabilities, while we, as retailers, link everything together."

Aoyama: "Are there any challenges you're facing?"

Kato: "The biggest challenge is figuring out how to flip the switch that makes each individual consumer personally connect with this message. It's not just about using TV's reach to broadcast PR; it's crucial that it motivates viewers to take some kind of action. That's the core issue. Should it be 'Let's all cheer together'? Or 'Tell us your "absolutely can't lose" story'? How do we deliver the message that flips that switch? Right now, I feel 'unity' is the key. I sense that people in Japan today have this feeling of 'wanting to get excited together' and 'wanting to connect with everyone.'"

Nakamura: "Listening to customers who buy friendship bracelets at our store, you really hear that strong desire to 'support with a sense of unity.' For example, we're actually starting to see parents of players going to Koshien or cheering squads buying them in bulk. This happens not only for events like the Inter-High soccer tournament, but also outside sports, like entrance exams. It's not just about the individual striving alone or feeling they can't lose. It's about the people around them who aren't on the field but want to cheer together, wearing the misanga themselves or sending them to their child heading to the game or exam. Looking at the volume of tweets about misanga via hashtags, we see a steady, simmering increase. We're really feeling the momentum of this collaboration."

What do you prioritize when creating a movement?

 

Aoyama: "Mr. Hattori, as the head of CP Division 6, what are your thoughts as you work on this collaboration?"

Hattori: "One mission of CP6 Division is to maximize the power held by broadcasters—our extremely important partners—and transform it into solutions for clients. We don't just provide advertising slots; we convert all the inherent power and resources broadcasters possess into solutions we deliver. I'm glad we achieved one major challenge in this regard through the initiative with Xebio and TV Asahi. On the other hand, when undertaking such challenges, the PDCA cycle becomes critically important. Previously, we might have focused largely on metrics like GRPs, reach, or awareness rates. But unless we set more concrete, goal-oriented KPIs and commit to them as CP6, the ultimate outcome remains ambiguous. We believe our work isn't truly complete until we push that far."

Kawasaki: "I think context is crucial when trying to create a kind of social movement, like this TV Asahi and Xebio collaboration. This partnership was a campaign for TV Asahi itself and for Xebio itself, while simultaneously being a social campaign. Naturally, the core was the slogan 'We absolutely cannot lose~'. But without that added context, it would be impossible for each company's various departments, let alone separate corporate entities, to align in the same direction. I think it was significant that both Xebio and TV Asahi found that context early on. Also, TV Asahi assembled an excellent team specifically for this collaboration. Precisely because of that, I strongly feel we must ensure everyone involved ultimately benefits and that we achieve our goals."

Aoyama: "What do you think is essential for building a good team?"

[The Absolutely Unbeatable Misanga Project]

A project where participants wear the "Absolutely Unbeatable Misanga" and post on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag "#絶対に負けられない戦い". Within one month of sales starting in mid-July, participants exceeded approximately 150,000.

 

Kato: "Our company has always had a system where, for major sports projects, decisions are made through cross-functional teams gathering across departmental boundaries, fostering horizontal connections. And when we're all hyping up a project, I say everyone must become a promoter—each person needs to be able to passionately explain it to anyone who asks. This initiative has several passionate advocates, and more and more people are jumping on board saying, 'This is exciting!' Our culture of avoiding siloed thinking has likely been cultivated through the sports projects we've undertaken so far."

Nakamura: "In practice, we hold meetings about twice a week, and often, something discussed in a meeting starts moving forward the very next day. We always feel that strong sense of teamwork and speed, and our company is truly grateful for it."

Hattori: "What you just described might be the very foundation for those of us in this line of work. Fundamentally, if we can create a movement, everyone involved is happy. And why does it become a movement? Because there's something there that everyone wants to be part of – it's never forced upon them. As advertising professionals, we're reminded how crucial that is. Advertising isn't about forcing something onto people; it's about creating a movement where many think, 'This is something good to have.' That, I believe, is the true essence of communication."

The future of television. The importance of horizontal connections.

 

Synapse's Aoyama

 

Aoyama: "It really hits home again—the power of words is immense."

Kato: "Earlier we mentioned Koshien, but this phrase applies to all kinds of sports. And it's not just the athletes—their families, relatives, and friends are wearing the friendship bracelets to cheer them on. Seeing that, a director posted on social media, 'This is another battle we absolutely cannot lose...' That kind of passion—wanting more people to know about this friendship bracelet project—is what drives us. That's where it comes from, right?"

Nakamura: "That's how powerful and universal words are – they resonate effortlessly with anyone in any situation. It's not just the sports world; office workers and students also face moments they absolutely can't lose. It feels incredibly relatable. I now realize this collaboration was only possible because of that foundational connection."

Hattori: "Having the entire TV Asahi field at our disposal becomes an incredible weapon for us. If we can create solutions that fully leverage that, I believe it will transform our clients' communication. The solution power when riding on all the content and context a broadcaster possesses is immense. If we can collaborate on initiatives like this, we can contribute more to our clients, and as a result, our own value increases. We want to create more of this positive cycle."

【About Synapse】

■Concept
A magazine supporting television and media
■Publisher
Video Research Ltd.
■Publication Cycle
Quarterly publication. Issued four times a year in March, June, September, and December
■Price
¥980 (tax included)