31: THE CREATIVE EFFECTIVENESS AWARD (The Creative Effectiveness Award)
JPG
MP4
2m:16s
THE MISSING VERSE: COMPLETING THE BENTO SYMPHONY - Zespri
FOOD
Finalist
| Title of Entry: | THE MISSING VERSE: COMPLETING THE BENTO SYMPHONY |
|---|---|
| Brand: | Zespri |
| Product/Service: | FOOD |
| Client: | Zespri International Japan |
| Entrant Company: | DENTSU INC. |
| Entrant Company Country: | Japan |
| Creative Team: | Executive Creative Director：Keiji Tajima Creative Director：Yuichi Kitada Art Director：Kimiko Sekido Copywriter：Sumire Ono Communications Planner：Kinami Hasegawa Communications Planner：Kimie Osawa Strategic Planner：Maasa Nakasone Strategic Planner：Asako Yamamoto Promotion Director：Masami Nagayama Promotion Director：Akane Nogawa PR Director：Junko Okawa Producer：Tatsuma Sasaki Producer：Yuji Saino Director：Sezan Iseda Account Director：Hiroyuki Maeda Account Executive：Issei Maezawa Account Executive：Ei Ko Account Executive：Hikari Kajita Account Executive：Chisa Matsuyama |
| Submission Text: | Japan is globally admired for its food culture and health consciousness. Meals are carefully portioned, visually balanced, and rooted in tradition. Yet beneath this reputation lies a quiet contradiction. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, one in three Japanese people suffers from malnutrition. People care deeply about what they eat - checking labels, counting calories, choosing with intention - yet still fail to get the nutrients their bodies need. Zespri recognised that this was not an individual failure, but a cultural blind spot. Modern Japanese meals still look balanced, but nutrition density has eroded. An Edo-period mindset still persists: fruit is mizugashi - "water sweets," dessert rather than daily nutrition. This centuries-old classification continues to shape behavior today. Japan now ranks 152nd globally in fruit consumption, and only one in three people believes fruit contributes to daily nutrition. As a foreign premium fruit brand, Zespri could not credibly lecture Japan about health. Instead, it asked a different question: where does Japan already learn how to eat well? The answer was hiding in plain sight - inside the bento. The bento is Japan’s most enduring food ritual. Prepared with care each morning, it represents balance, love, and responsibility. Some people even spend hours perfecting the appearance, making rice bears and edible art. And for generations, that balance has been taught through a beloved children’s song: “Obentō-bako no Uta.” Sung by almost every Japanese child, the song lists the ideal contents of a lunchbox - rice, vegetables, protein - embedding food values through memory and melody. But one thing was missing. The original song never mentioned fruit. Zespri realised this absence mirrored the nation’s modern nutrition gap. Through examining actual bentos across Japan, the pattern was unmistakable: fruit was often absent in bento boxes. The song wasn't just outdated - it was accurately reflecting reality. If fruit didn’t exist in the cultural script of a “proper” bento, it was no surprise it had disappeared from daily lunches. So instead of launching another health campaign, Zespri chose to update culture itself. As part of its long-term Nutrition Reform Project, aimed at creating 6 billion opportunities for healthier eating by 2030, Zespri reimagined the original song. A new verse was added - simple, gentle, and culturally respectful - inviting people to “slip a kiwi into that little empty space” in the bento. But the update went deeper. The entire song was rewritten to reflect how modern Japan actually cooks - using leftovers, frozen foods, realistic shortcuts. Within this honest framework, adding fruit became one small, achievable step rather than a lecture from a premium brand. To bridge generations and ensure relevance, the song was introduced with the participation of a nationally loved pop icon, turning a childhood ritual into a shared national moment. The movement began with lunch - the meal most Japanese people nutritionally under-fuel. Research showed 83% felt their bento lacked balance, yet adding just one serving of fruit could improve health scores by 22%. Zespri’s message was deliberately non-judgmental: you don’t have to be perfect - just take one small step. The reimagined song spread organically. Children sang it in schools. Parents filmed it at home. Offices joined in. The hashtag #お弁当にフルーツ入れ隊 trended to No.1 on Yahoo Real-Time Search. Retail teams became “Nutrition Reform Leaders,” distributing 10 million samples nationwide. Partnerships with meal-kit services and cafeterias helped normalise fruit at lunch beyond the home. The results were both cultural and commercial. Kiwi mentions on Japan’s leading nutrition app increased 1.6×, brand power reached all-time high of 19.0%, penetration grew to 25.0%. “Nutrition × Kiwi” association ranking improved from 11th to 5th. “Bento × Fruit” mentions increased 924%, and sales hit a record 34 million trays, reaching 105% from last year. But the most important outcome wasn’t a number. It was a quiet shift in lunchboxes across Japan. By rewriting a song Japan already knew by heart, Zespri didn’t just sell more fruit - it helped a nation remember what balance really means. |
| Other Credits: | Strategy Partner：The Shed 28 |
