Making Regional Revitalization Fun and Interesting with Viral Videos

Video projects spearheaded by prefectures, municipalities, and even ordinary citizens are gaining traction in media and on social networks.
Each case demonstrates ingenuity in matching local challenges with assets the community takes pride in. Here, we introduce examples from Beppu City, Oita Prefecture, and Kagawa Prefecture.

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~ Beppu City, Oita Prefecture's "View-Based Campaign Promise Video" ~

Connecting video topics to promote "The World's Number One Hot Spring City"

Beppu City in Oita Prefecture boasts the world's largest hot spring output for bathing. To promote its appeal as a hot spring city, the city established the "Playable Hot Spring City Concept." As its first initiative, on November 21, 2016, it announced the "Yu-enchi" plan, which fuses hot springs with an amusement park.
Released on YouTube at that time was a movie embodying this concept. It depicted attractions generously using hot springs, such as a roller coaster you ride while soaking in hot water and baths circulating inside a merry-go-round, along with people enjoying them.

Drill Inc.'s Atsushi Nishida, who produced the video, reflected: "Beppu City has an overwhelmingly large volume of hot spring water, and the excess water flows directly into the sea. Our goal was to create a video only possible in such a 'city with surplus hot water,' visualizing the Playable Hot Spring City Concept and appealing to tourists."
For this video, over 12 tons of hot spring water were transported from the source. The city's amusement park, Beppu Rakutenchi, was chosen as the filming location, with citizens assisting in tasks like spraying the hot spring water. The video itself was shot using over 150 all-citizen extras. The entire community united to create a film uniquely possible in Beppu City.
Furthermore, this video gained attention as a "view-count-linked pledge movie," promising that if it reached 1 million views on YouTube, the "Yu-Enchi" plan would actually be implemented. Yusuke Shimazu of Dentsu Inc. Promotion Design Bureau stated, "To appeal widely both domestically and internationally, we needed a mechanism to reach many viewers. By sharing the goal of 'execution upon 1 million views,' we aimed to make the process itself a talking point."

As a result, the video surpassed 1 million views just 4 days after release. By the 8th day, it had reached 2 million views. Upon hitting 1 million views, a "Thank 'Yu~' Letter" expressing gratitude from Mayor Yasuhiro Nagano was released. The video also garnered over 25,000 likes on the platform and was featured in over 600 media outlets worldwide.
With the million-view milestone, attention shifted to the promise's future. The Beppu City Tourism Division shared their outlook: " We've begun working to realize 'Yū~sonchi' to fulfill the promise . We expect to present something within a year . We also plan further promotions tied to this project." The promise video will likely attract tourists through long-term engagement.

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~Kagawa Prefecture's "Iku-Ken" PR Video~

Expressing the unexpected connection between "udon" and "child-rearing"

Kagawa Prefecture, known for its "Udon Prefecture" promotion, has launched the "Ikuken Kagawa" campaign website to encourage relocation. It positions itself as Japan's smallest prefecture – "a place where children are well looked after" – sharing information accordingly.
The website features data helpful for families raising children, such as relocation experiences of mothers and introductions to local childcare support centers. Alongside this, an online movie combining "udon" and "child-rearing" was released.
The sound of slurping udon resembles the sounds a baby hears in the womb, and there's a theory that slurping udon in front of a baby can soothe them.

Using this as inspiration, a video titled"The Secret of Udon" was uploaded to the "Ikuken Kagawa" websiteon September 15, 2015. Actor Jun Kaname, serving as the "Udon Prefecture" Vice Governor, appears in the video, explaining the aforementioned "secret" while showcasing Kagawa's udon. The video concludes with him slurping udon in front of a baby, who stops crying. The second installment released a video further testing this claim. Titled "Verification! Does the Sound of Slurping Udon Really Stop Babies from Crying?", Yutaka suddenly appears in front of a crying baby and slurps udon repeatedly. After testing this with 10 babies, the result was that 9 of them stopped crying.
Shu Honda of Dentsu Inc. 2CRP Bureau, involved in the video production, explained its impact: "While this theory might seem doubtful at first glance, it was proven by Professor Dongjin Wu of Kyoto University. Because it was such a strong fact, the video naturally carried compelling persuasive power." The video conveyed information slightly different in direction from other parenting data on the site, using the unique approachability of video.

The video also received acclaim at international advertising awards. "I thought the sound of slurping udon might be perceived negatively overseas, but everyone who saw the video laughed," said Honda.
The video was created as a "childcare awareness" message to keep an eye on children. Regarding the response and impact after release, Tomohisa Inoshita of Kagawa Prefecture's Childcare Support Division stated, "We received messages from people outside the prefecture saying they watched the video. It was featured on numerous TV programs, both local and national networks, achieving significant results." It became a video PR campaign connecting the prefecture's representative gourmet food with childcare.