au Presentation Under the theme "Let's all create together" Providing exciting experiences
KDDI held its "au Presentation 2018 Summer" event at Bellesalle Shinjuku Grand in Tokyo on May 29, introducing new services and campaigns for the summer.
President Makoto Takahashi stated in his address, "This summer, under the theme 'Let's Create Together,' we aim to deliver exciting experiences through everything we offer—products, services, campaigns, and more. We also want to propose the excitement that hints at the next-generation network."
He touched on efforts to introduce 5G, characterized by high capacity, low latency, and multiple connections, and announced the new "au Flat Plan 25 Netflix Pack" pricing plan, bundling the world's largest online entertainment service "Netflix" with "Video Pass." "My first visit to Netflix headquarters was seven years ago. We've been pursuing this partnership ever since, and we've finally made it happen," he said.
Greg Peters, Chief Product Officer at Netflix, commented, "Our mission is to deliver heartfelt entertainment experiences to members worldwide. Mobile plays a crucial role in entertainment life. We are delighted to deliver new, exciting experiences through our partnership with KDDI, encompassing products and content."
Next, President Takahashi introduced the provision of "experiences that transcend distance."
He mentioned that they are exploring new services, such as connecting humans and robots via the internet to enable remote travel experiences.
Hitoshi Tomioka, CEO of Telexistence, which developed the mass-production prototype "MODEL H," stated, "Every few years, a product appears on the market that changes the world's common sense. We want to change the way people travel." He explained that the company aims to develop technology that allows users to enjoy the feeling of traveling freely by placing robots in remote locations that are difficult to visit due to time or cost constraints and operating them from afar. An experiential event utilizing "MODEL H" is planned for this summer.
For the second part of the stage event, actresses Kasumi Arimura, Nanao, and Rina Kawaei appeared as guests dressed in the costumes of "Kagu-chan (Princess Kaguya)," "Oto-chan (Princess Oto)," and "Ori-chan (Princess Ori)" from the "Santaro" TV commercial series. President Takahashi smiled and said, "The previous president always seemed to enjoy meeting them, so I really wanted to meet the three of them myself."
The new TV commercial "Let's Build" was screened at the venue. This commercial was created after receiving a letter from a young girl requesting, "Please build Ura-chan's (Urashima Taro's) house." The company will also launch a campaign to solicit "design ideas for Ura-chan's house" from the public. Based on selected submissions, the company will construct the house, which will be featured in future commercials.
The three guests each presented their ideas for the house.
Ariura proposed a "triangular straw house," describing it as "a house that keeps Ura-chan's image while being cute and warm." Nanao presented a "house with an irori hearth and a large kitchen," explaining, "It has the image of a Japanese folktale. She seems like she'd cook for herself."
Kawaei-san introduced her "Doghouse full of dogs," explaining, "This is me pushing my hobby. I love dogs and have six, so I made it a doghouse. I based the color scheme on Ori-chan's image color, pink. There's just one goldfish in the tank." President Takahashi responded with a wry smile, "It really shows your personality. But you're ignoring Ura-chan, aren't you?"
After the presentation, the Touch & Try corner featured a demonstration of telepresence technology, allowing travel experiences via remotely operated robots.
An operator wearing a VR headset and sensor-equipped gloves controlled the robot, showcasing technology capable of real-time reproduction of delicate movements like gently stroking a turtle's shell. Many media outlets showed keen interest.
Official website:
https://www.au.com/pr/tsukurou/
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