Monthly CX [19]The Short Animation "667 Love Letters" for Lipton Milk Tea, Born from Customer Inquiries
The ever-evolving field of CX (Customer Experience).
How can Dentsu Inc.'s creative team contribute to the CX domain, now demanded in every scenario?
To explore this potential, Dentsu Inc.'s CX specialist division, the "CXCC" (Customer Experience Creative Center), shares insights on CX and creativity in the series "Monthly CX" ( For more on Monthly CX, click here ).
One year after discontinuing Lipton Milk Tea, Morinaga Milk Industry decided to relaunch it in response to customer feedback. The short animated film "667 Love Letters" was created as a promotional campaign to celebrate its return. What led to its production? What were the results of the promotion?
This time, we spoke with Nanako Chiba, who was involved in the Morinaga Milk Industry Lipton Milk Tea "667 Love Letters" project.
Dentsu Inc.
Customer Experience Creative Center
Art Director
Handles numerous full-funnel projects spanning art direction, planning, digital initiatives, and illustration.
Is the phrase "inquiry" a declaration of love?
Monthly CX: How did "667 Love Letters" come about?
Chiba: It began when Morinaga Milk Industry discontinued "Lipton Milk Tea" in March 2022 and launched "Lipton Royal Milk Tea" as its replacement. Although it featured a richer flavor with more tea leaves, we received 667 inquiries over six months from fans of the original product, essentially asking, "Please bring back the original taste." This was the highest number of inquiries in Morinaga Milk Industry's history. The company took these customer voices seriously and decided to discontinue Royal Milk Tea one year later, bringing back the original Milk Tea. Once the revival was decided, they consulted Dentsu Inc. on how best to communicate this to consumers.
Monthly CX: So, the decision to revive the old product was made before consulting Dentsu Inc.?
Chiba: Yes. The project's goals were to maximize buzz around the revival of Lipton Milk Tea and to increase purchase intent not only among core fans but also among dormant consumers who hadn't recently purchased it and new consumers who had never tried it. We aimed to communicate the fact that it was being revived in response to fan feedback and to convey the enthusiasm of core fans to non-fan segments.
To achieve this goal, we created a short animated film titled "667 Love Letters." The story appears to be about two high school students exchanging letters expressing their feelings for each other, but it actually depicts them sending inquiries requesting the re-release of the milk tea. Every word used in the film comes from actual inquiries sent to Lipton Milk Tea.
Monthly CX: Replacing customer inquiries with love letters is a very interesting approach. How did this idea come about?
Chiba: After receiving the request from Morinaga Milk Industry, our team read all 667 inquiries. We found phrases like "I loved it," "It feels like a hole has opened in my heart," and "It feels like my heart is being torn apart." We could feel the deep affection for Lipton Milk Tea, and it struck us that these were essentially love letters themselves. During our discussions, a project member suggested creating a romantic animation-style piece using love letters as the motif.
This dedication extended even to the background art. Composed entirely from the words in the inquiries.
Monthly CX: What aspects did you focus on during production?
Chiba: We focused on using inquiry phrases not only for the dialogue, but also for the text in background art and even the theme song. We sprinkled these phrases—expressing hopes for the old product's revival—into every detail: signs in the town, graffiti on shutters, school blackboards, posters, jerseys, book titles, and more.
We selected phrases that fit the story so they wouldn't be immediately recognizable as customer inquiries at first glance.
Monthly CX: So much attention to detail went into the production. I was also amazed by the high quality of the work itself.
Chiba: I'm glad to hear that. We were extremely particular about the work's quality, and the entire project team aimed to make it truly on par with actual broadcast animation.
"667 Love Letters" is structured like a trailer, featuring a rapid succession of short scenes. We liberally employed classic romance animation tropes—separated lovers, sudden downpours, third-party appearances—to determine the visuals and dialogue.
Additionally, in conjunction with the work, we deployed signage and posters within Shibuya Station resembling promotions for a new animated film. The posters feature a phrase from the work that was not used in the actual animation.
Monthly CX: I thought it would be fun to look for what phrases were used, since they were scattered everywhere.
Chiba: Thank you. The creative for this project is all about the details. If you look closely everywhere, you'll find things like, "Oh, it's even here!" or "Look, another inquiry phrase!" We created it thinking about how viewers would react when they find these things. We focused on weaving in little surprises throughout the creative that make you want to point them out or share them with someone.
Monthly CX: Speaking of elements that make you want to comment, the term "old release" is also interesting, right?
Chiba: We coined the term "old release" instead of "new release" to signify a return to the original flavor. I remember seeing many reactions to this phrase on social media, with people saying things like, "Old release? That's new!"
Phased on-and-off tactics to maximize buzz
Monthly CX: To achieve the goal of generating buzz, what design considerations did you incorporate into the promotion?
Chiba: We released information in stages, designing it to make it easier for viewers to discuss. Specifically, we first posted teasers on Morinaga Milk Industry's official SNS accounts hinting at a new animated work, building anticipation. Before the general release, we invited core fans who had sent inquiries to a preview screening. By announcing the revival to core fans first, we created a small buzz. Then, simultaneously with the product revival, we launched the "667 Love Letters" campaign and station advertisements. Releasing information bit by bit and gradually building attention contributed to maximizing the buzz on the release day.
Monthly CX: You continued sharing information even after the release, right?
Chiba: Yes. After the release, we also focused on sustaining the buzz, not just maximizing it. We did this by gradually revealing hidden inquiries within the work and OOH posters on social media, and by releasing videos introducing hidden inquiries within the work via the alternate audio track.
Additionally, for Royal Milk Tea fans, we quietly placed a thank-you ad in OOH. We were mindful of caring for those fans, as we knew they existed.
Monthly CX: So you strategically released information over time. How were the project's results?
Chiba: Videos posted from Morinaga Milk Industry's official account garnered over 3 million views, with total tweets exceeding 127,000. I believe we can say we succeeded in generating buzz. Regarding the first-week sales performance at convenience stores after the relaunch, I heard sales saw a V-shaped recovery, with figures showing approximately 400% growth compared to the previous week.
The response to the OOH campaign was also significant, with comments on social media like, "I went to see it because my inquiry was featured."
Monthly CX: So there was a lot of reaction. Were there differences in the responses from core fans, dormant users, and new users?
Chiba: Core fans gave mostly positive reactions like "Welcome back" and "Glad our voices were heard." Seeing the core fans' enthusiasm seemed to spark interest among dormant fans and newcomers who hadn't tried it before, with some thinking, "If it's this exciting, maybe I'll give it a try."
Beyond that, I was surprised by the flood of joyful and grateful messages from core fans that poured into customer support after the revival announcement. It was incredibly heartwarming to see the shift from voices lamenting the old product to voices expressing pure delight.
Monthly CX: What were the most common reactions during the preview event?
Chiba: Since we invited people without telling them about the revival and held the preview, some attendees were moved to tears by the news of the relaunch. After the preview, we held a tasting session. We drank milk tea with the participants, and everyone got excited saying, "This is the taste we remember!"
CX Creative = What transforms customer experience into something exciting
Monthly CX: As an Art Director, you're also involved in planning. What were your strengths and skills that came into play throughout this project?
Chiba: I'm good at creating mechanisms that make people who see the creative work want to comment on it. I think that strength was utilized in this case as well. The romantic animation style is one example, and there were many hidden mechanisms within the artwork and OOH. We created a creative piece that made people who found them want to comment.
My attention to detail is also a strength—like strictly limiting the language used to just the inquiry phrases.
Monthly CX: What aspects of this project do you consider CX?
Chiba: I believe it's CX because we built momentum around the product's revival by gradually interweaving various initiatives, which then led to tangible sales results. We centered the project around a trailer-like video reminiscent of a romantic anime, followed by station advertisements styled like promotional posters. We then leveraged the video's appeal to host preview screenings. This entire sequence was designed to continuously encourage social media engagement.
Lipton Milk Tea is a product I drank a lot of during my student days, so I could plan while recalling those feelings and experiences. Sharing our individual memories with team members also made the process exciting. I believe we successfully incorporated the customer experience of a single fan into the creative work.
Monthly CX: What does CX creative mean to you, Chiba-san?
Chiba: If CX is the entire customer journey from awareness to becoming a fan, then CX creative is what transforms that experience into something exciting. I want to create compelling creative that moves people and be present for those moments when emotions stir. I'm good at weaving in small surprises that make people smile when they discover them, so I aim to create things that meet viewers' expectations.
Monthly CX: What are your future aspirations?
Chiba: I want to keep challenging myself in various ways, unconstrained by specific techniques or genres.
This project required a leap of imagination—taking the concept of creating a romantic animation-style piece inspired by love letters, starting from an inquiry. We were meticulous about the output, from the actual video to OOH and the screening event design. Hearing "You went that far?" as a compliment was truly rewarding. Moving forward, I want to keep creating work that surprises people—making them think "Wow, that's how you did it!" or "You really went that far!"
(Editor's Note)
Watching the work, it's clear it was crafted with great care. When you realize every word used in the story and background art comes directly from customer inquiries, you're struck by the diversity of expression and the strength of feeling behind them. You can sense the dedication of the project members, led by Chiba-san, who meticulously gathered these words and creatively translated them.
This interview was conducted in collaboration with 'CX Creative Studio note' ( learn more about CX Creative Studio note here ). We're also working with Dentsu Digital Inc.'s CX Creative Team, not just the Dentsu CXCC team, to collect and share a broader range of case studies. If you're interested, please check that out as well.
If you have any requests for future case studies or themes you'd like us to cover, please send a message to the Monthly CX Editorial Department via the contact page below. Thank you for your continued readership.
Dentsu Inc. CXCC: Koike, Oda, Otani, Kibata, Takakusagi, Kanasaka, Okumura
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Nanako Chiba
Dentsu Inc.
We handle numerous full-funnel projects, from art direction and planning to digital initiatives and illustration.
Articles by this person
Monthly CX Editorial Department
Dentsu Inc.
The editorial team for "Monthly CX," a series where members of Dentsu Inc.'s CX-specialized division "CXCC" share insights on CX and creativity. By covering outstanding CX creative success stories within the agency or company, we unravel the essence and potential of CX creativity. Core members are Yoko Kibata, Hiroshi Koike, Nao Otani, Hirono Okumura, Yutaro Kosugi, Espin, Keisuke Saito, Kenji Oda, Hirozumi Takakusagi, and Motofumi Kanasaka, all belonging to CXCC.
