Co-Creation Marketing Seen Through Yukimi Daikufu

Dentsu Inc.'s cross-functional creative organization, the Future Creative Center (FCC), is a group of over 70 individuals supporting the creation of the future through creativity, extending beyond the boundaries of advertising. In this series, centered on the theme "Future × Creativity," center members discuss their future initiatives.
    
This installment focuses on the 2019 "Yukimi Daifuku New Ways" campaign, which utilized the classic ice cream product "Yukimi Daifuku." Despite being a long-selling product that had already introduced over 50 flavors, Yukimi Daifuku faced a "creative drought" when it came to developing new concepts. Thus, this campaign invited submissions for "new ways to eat" Yukimi Daifuku with a twist. It generated not only entries from general consumers but also collaborations with other companies' products. Furthermore, this campaign has led to product renewals since 2020 and additional corporate collaborations.

"Yukimi Daifuku" Campaign

How did this campaign, which turned "running out of ideas" into its own concept, come about? We looked back with Lotte's Takuhei Ando (Yukimi Daifuku Brand Section, Lotte Innovation Headquarters), who oversees the Yukimi Daifuku brand, and Dentsu FCC members involved in the project: Hayata Yoshikawa (Creative Director) and Eriko Ishibashi (Creative Director/Copywriter).

*This interview was conducted online.

Marketing that harnessed the high enthusiasm of Yukimi Daifuku fans

Ando: Yukimi Daifuku enjoyed stable popularity, but we faced the challenge of stagnant purchase rate growth. That's when we consulted Dentsu Inc., marking the start of the project. Our hope wasn't just to increase purchase rates, but to create a campaign that would generate buzz. Thankfully, Yukimi Daifuku has many passionate fans, making it naturally prone to becoming a hot topic. Looking at past trends, purchase rates rose whenever it became a talking point.

So we wanted a campaign that could achieve both buzz and increased purchase rates. We made the request and then completely handed it over to Mr. Yoshikawa's team (laughs).

Yoshikawa: It wasn't exactly a complete hand-off (laughs). But that was the starting point.

Ando: Honestly, we were completely out of ideas (laughs). Yukimi Daifuku is a product that's been on the market for nearly 40 years, one of Lotte's longest-running ice cream brands. Plus, we've launched over 50 flavors so far, so we'd pretty much exhausted the flavor possibilities. We were stuck wondering what else we could do.

Ishibashi: That struggle directly shaped the campaign concept, didn't it?

Ando: Yes. I took over Yukimi Daifuku in 2018; before that, I was developing other ice cream products. After becoming responsible for it, whenever I suggested, "How about a Yukimi Daifuku with this flavor?" I'd get an immediate response like, "We've already done that" (laughs). Honestly, I was in a state of wondering what else I could possibly do.

Then, from Dentsu Inc., the 'Yukimi Daifuku Fan Creation' project was proposed. Since we had no ideas ourselves, I honestly thought, 'Let's borrow the power of our fans.'

Yoshikawa: Yukimi Daifuku is a brand deeply loved by its fans. So, we all agreed that fan marketing, leveraging their power, was the way to go. Looking at social media, you see fans independently developing and sharing their own ways to enjoy Yukimi Daifuku.

Ishibashi: Like pairing it with whiskey, making it into tempura, or even warming it on a car hood—all sorts of creative ideas were popping up. It's become a culture among Yukimi Daifuku fans.

Yoshikawa: So many interesting ideas were already out there. That's when we decided to turn this culture into a campaign. We launched "Yukimi Daifuku Creative Ideas," asking fans to share their fun ways to eat Yukimi Daifuku on social media. We intentionally turned an activity fans were already doing into a campaign. Yukimi Daifuku had run fan marketing campaigns using social media before, and seeing how strong the response was then, we knew this would be a hit.

(The "Yukimi Daifuku: Give Me One!" campaign. Timed with the airing of a new commercial featuring Tao Tsuchiya, we ran a Twitter campaign called "#GiveMeOneGiveOrNotGiveGeneralElection." It asked people whether they would give or not give one piece of the two-pack "Yukimi Daifuku" if someone asked, "Give me one!")
 

 

(Fan marketing campaign "Yukimi Daifuku Summer Image Change Project". To shake off its image as a winter ice cream, initiatives like the "Summer-Themed Yukimi Daifuku Poster Contest" were held, inviting fans to submit entries via Twitter)

Corporate collaborations can showcase a new brand image that goes beyond what we've done before.

Yoshikawa: I think the naming "Yukimi Daifuku" was crucial to the campaign's success. It focused on how to present what fans have been doing in a fresh way to the world.

Ishibashi: When brainstorming the name, we were careful to avoid making it seem like a rigid recipe contest. Just like how social media is full of playful posts, fans enjoy Yukimi Daifuku freely, not just focusing on pursuing deliciousness. We wanted to express that free-spirited framework, which is why we chose the name "Yukimi Daifuku."

Yoshikawa: It also plays on Mr. Ishibashi's fondness for puns (laughs). Another thing was honestly sharing our struggle with "running out of ideas." We put "Help us develop new Yukimi Daifuku flavors!" right at the top of the campaign site. Below that, we added a "request" to our fans.

"Yukimi Daifuku's Request"

Ando: We were genuinely out of ideas, so we thought this was fine. If someone told us, "You figure it out," we'd be stuck (laughs).

Ishibashi: That said, we adjusted it to be simple and slightly endearing, avoiding excessive self-deprecation. We also named the site itself "Yukimi Daifuku Room," giving it a customer service office kind of feel.

Yoshikawa: The campaign ran from September 3 to November 29, 2019. Starting in November, we also did collaborations with other companies' products. This idea also originated from what we discussed earlier—fans independently developing and sharing their own ways to eat Yukimi Daifuku. Actually, the core of this "Yukimi Daifuku Creation" campaign was to expand the concept of fan marketing to the corporate level, creating joint campaigns with various companies and turning it into a movement.

As mentioned in the campaign video, we are now in an era of "co-creation," not "competition." I believe the reason various ways to eat Yukimi Daifuku became a hot topic among fans was because society was seeking collaboration.

Ishibashi: For the collaboration, four companies (Nagatanien, Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage, Ajinomoto Frozen Foods, and Snow Brand Megmilk) actually participated. Mr. Ando personally negotiated with each company...

Collaboration Press Conference with Other Companies' Products From left in photo
Yorozuya Co., Ltd. Sales Division, Product Sales Strategy Department, Strategic Planning Section: Ms. Yurie Mita
POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage Co., Ltd. Food & Beverage Business Division, Processed Foods Department, Mr. Jun Morishita
Lotte Co., Ltd. Lotte Innovation Headquarters Yukimi Daifuku Brand Section, Mr. Shohei Ando
Ms. Reiko Fukuhara, Strategic PR Group, Sales & Marketing Division, Domestic Integrated Business Unit, Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co., Ltd. (as of October 2019)
Sales Marketing Department, Strategic PR Group, Reiko Fukuhara (as of October 2019)
Yukijirushi Megmilk Co., Ltd. Dairy Products Division, Cheese Group, Mr. Masaki Tsukamoto

Ando: Every collaboration involved flagship products representing their companies. Each had a long history, so I was nervous when proposing them. I'm sure ten years ago, we would have been turned away at the door (laughs). But times have changed. Corporate collaborations allow us to showcase new brands beyond our existing lines and generate buzz. Personally, I had no resistance to collaborations.

Yoshikawa: To figure out what kind of collaboration would work, we spent hours in the conference room tasting things to find products that paired well with Yukimi Daifuku. We prepared about 100 Yukimi Daifuku and tried pairing them with all sorts of products. What really stood out was how well it went with Nagatanien's "Ochazuke Nori."

Ando: That was a real discovery. "Hey, this is surprisingly good!" Just then, we happened to get a chance to talk with Nagatanien. I thought, "We have to go for this!" (laughs). I was definitely nervous. The person in charge was surprised too, but they agreed.

Ishibashi: The other company also had a big fan of Yukimi Daifuku, and they were thrilled, right? I feel like the high level of passion among our fans really helped lead to these corporate collaborations.

This campaign also influenced the later product renewal.

Yoshikawa: While the Yukimi Daifuku collaboration ended in November 2019, the key point is that this initiative has continuity. For example, corporate collaborations have continued since then, right? In October 2020, we collaborated with Pasco's "Chokujuku" for "Forbidden Yukimi Toast," and with Imuraya's "Azuki Bar" for "Yukimi Azuki Zenzai." For two consecutive New Years, we ran joint advertisements with both companies.

Ando: I was worried whether Imuraya, being in the same industry, would accept the collaboration, but when we talked, they gave their OK more smoothly than I expected. Now, I actually think that precisely because we're in the same industry, it's good to have these horizontal connections.

Also, when we renewed Yukimi Daifuku in 2020, the "Yukimi Daikufu" idea came into play again. Back then, we received many suggestions that adding salty ingredients to Yukimi Daifuku would be delicious. Taking that as a hint, we added just a hint of saltiness to the vanilla ice cream.

Yoshikawa: That's an example of fan ideas leading to a flavor renewal. This trend of fans creating things is happening globally. Even the Xbox gaming console saw popularity with a service letting users customize and sell their own controllers. We're seeing more movements where fans participate in brand and product creation.

Ando: At the campaign's end, we selected three outstanding recipes and offered them for one day only at a cafe. The creators of those winning recipes actually came to the cafe. When we spoke with them, it seemed this project was what brought them together. This flow where fans create a circle and attract new fans is the ideal in marketing. This might be an example where that ideal became reality.

Ishibashi: The fans' passion is incredible, and it's also amazing that Lotte officially encouraged people to enjoy Yukimi Daifuku this freely.

Ando: I believe brands must embrace change. While preserving what must be protected and cherished, they must constantly evolve. Otherwise, customers will grow bored, and the brand will be left behind. With Yukimi Daifuku, they maintain the gentle image derived from its shape and the iconic red color, while challenging themselves in other areas. This approach will likely be crucial for brands and marketing moving forward.