Move hearts with regional charm! Unlock shareable regional videos with the "Emotional Trigger Map"

Hello. I'm Honami Shimo from the Oni Movie Team.

The Oni Movie Team operates as a specialized team focused on online video production.

While often seen as a creative unit, we actually handle the entire online video process—from planning and production to effectiveness verification.

Regional web videos (hereafter referred to as "regional movies") aimed at "regional revitalization" are gaining increasing attention. This time, we'll introduce one of the Oni Movie Team's key tools: "emotional triggers," and share tips for creating regional movies that generate buzz.

What emotions do viral regional videos stir?

While many regional videos exist, some become viral while others do not. We hypothesized that viral videos share common emotional triggers. We surveyed 980 men and women aged 20 to 60 about viral regional videos and analyzed the results using an Emotion Trigger Map.

The Emotion Trigger Map is a planning method that classifies and maps the motivations that make consumers want to share information. We examined hit videos on YouTube (videos with high shares, views, comments, etc.), identified the emotions that make people want to share them, categorized them into 10 types, and named them "Emotion Triggers."

This time, we use the Emotion Trigger to explain which emotions were stirred to address the challenge of how to acquire "Memorable" (hereafter "Memorable"), "Favorable" (hereafter "Favorable"), "Tourism Intent" (hereafter "Tourism Intent"), and "Relocation Intent" (hereafter "Relocation Intent").

The table below summarizes the emotions experienced by respondents who reported having "Impressive," "Favorable," "Tourism Interest," or "Relocation Interest" toward each municipality after watching a trending regional movie.

The funnel structure shows the progression from "Impression" to "Favorable impression," then to "Tourism intention," and finally to "Relocation intention." Increasing the number of people who form an "Impression" or "Favorable impression" is expected to lead to a corresponding increase in those with "Relocation intention."

Next, let's examine the emotional triggers.

Indicators of a viral web video include over 1 million views on YouTube, a high number of "likes" (indicating organic viewership), and a low number of "dislikes" relative to the number of "likes."

mofumofu has garnered approximately 1.2 million views, over 3,000 likes, and won the Golden World Awards for Excellence, an international PR industry award hosted by the International Public Relations Association.

We analyzed mofumofu, created to attract tourists, using an "Emotion Trigger Map."

Similar to the "tourism intent" found in the survey for trending regional videos, it showed a high score for "heartwarming."

Additionally, the "Cute" and "Hilarious" scores were also high. It is thought that after boosting "Impression" and "Favorability" through "Cute" and "Hilarious" elements, the story was crafted to evoke the "heart-warming" emotion characteristic of those with strong "Tourism Intent."

Three Hints for Creating Trending Regional Videos

Here are three hints for producing trending regional videos.

1.Consider the role and number of videos with "emotional triggers" in mind

When organizing viral videos by emotional triggers, the diagram below emerges.

When creating videos aimed at boosting "Impression" and "Favorability," focus on stimulating emotional thinking like "Hilarious" or "Cool." For videos targeting increased "Tourism Intent" or "Relocation Intent," incorporating elements that trigger empathetic thinking like "Moving" or "Heartwarming" is considered more effective.

When producing regional videos, themes like promoting the municipality's name or tourism can serve various roles. However, trying to pack in too many emotions to achieve diverse goals can sometimes make the core message harder to convey.

For example, much like how a ramen with just the perfect boiled egg can be more delicious than one loaded with every possible topping, it's crucial to have the courage to select and discard facts and information based on the specific goal and the emotion you aim to evoke. Alternatively, it can be more effective to aim for goal achievement through multiple video deployments, such as creating a series or splitting content based on different situations.

2.Above all, planning with a focus on "facts"

What's "ordinary" to locals can appear "new" to outsiders. Regional areas hold many hidden charms that attract people. Sometimes, conveying the authentic, vibrant reality of a place is more important than embellished appeal or forced acting.

While mofumofu initially unfolds in a seemingly whimsical world, the latter part of the video showcases "facts" like Akita's unique traditional crafts and the warm camaraderie among locals. Above all, we believe the most important thing is the spirit of confidently communicating the "facts" (= reality) found in your own town.

3.Integrated communication that aims to "move multiple emotions" beyond just video

However, a single video has its limitations. Therefore, combining regional films with other initiatives, like events, creates synergy. Designing communication where the film evokes emotion and the event provides heart-pounding experiences is crucial.

The Oni Movie Team believes that when producing regional films, it's crucial to clearly define what a film can and cannot achieve. Based on this understanding, we must communicate the charm that not only people nationwide, but perhaps even locals themselves, may not yet recognize.

Moving forward, the Oni Movie Team plans to provide insights into the mechanics of regional films based on these findings. We will also collaborate with diverse corporate and organizational partners to develop business initiatives related to local government PR.

[Survey Overview]
Survey Method: Quantitative web survey
Survey Participants: 980 men and women aged 20s to 60s
Survey Period: December 22-23, 2017

Oni Movie independently curated highly popular videos based on metrics like YouTube views and likes. We then created a unique evaluation axis ranking the level of interest and engagement each video generated toward specific regions, categorized as: "Memorable," "Favorable," "Intention to Visit," and "Intention to Relocate."

Using this evaluation axis, we cross-referenced it with the emotion names from the previously mentioned "Emotion Trigger Map" for verification and analysis.

A cross-organizational unit launched by the Dentsu Group in response to the expanding online video market and growing advertiser demand. Comprising approximately 30 members, including creators with extensive online video production experience, media specialists with deep insights into media utilization and user behavior, and PR experts skilled in designing PR campaigns that spread organically among consumers. The unit aims to position online video as a new tool for solving corporate challenges while also exploring media development and the future of content.