It may be hard to imagine now, but when Google first entered Japan in the late 2000s, it was still the second-largest search engine, behind Yahoo Japan. Our mission was to change that and make Google number one.
One of the most memorable projects was the campaign “Fly over the sky in Shibuya with Google.” We built a website where people could learn search tips, and with each search, a balloon was generated. As more people searched, more balloons accumulated—symbolizing the collective power of search.
To bring the idea to life, we took over an empty lot next to Tower Records in Shibuya, Tokyo’s cultural epicenter, and inflated over 100,000 balloons to literally lift people into the air. Participants, secured in harnesses, experienced floating above the crowd.
The campaign captured massive attention across TV, magazines, online media, blogs, and social networks, and 741 people actually experienced flying. Most importantly, it also delivered measurable business results: during the campaign, Google Japan’s search queries increased by 10%, with 20% of that growth directly attributed to the “Dekirukoto” campaign. The project was also recognized with several domestic advertising awards in Japan, highlighting both its creativity and impact.
Balloons break within just a few hours (I didn’t know that!), so we need to keep adding new ones. We planned for the colors to change like this.
Google Election Campaign
Voter turnout in Japan is notoriously low, especially among young people. To encourage participation, we created a platform using Google tools where people could directly engage with politicians.
On the campaign website, users submitted questions for political candidates. The most popular five were selected by public vote, and candidates responded via YouTube. We then built a hub page that gathered all the candidates’ video answers in one place—making it easy for voters to compare. The page also displayed directions to each user’s local polling station, helping to turn online engagement into real-world action.
The initiative was not only socially meaningful but also received recognition through domestic advertising awards in Japan, validating its creativity and contribution to civic participation.
Where is Obama city?
Back in 2008, most people in Japan were still unfamiliar with using Google Maps for driving directions. Our mission was to make the feature simple and approachable.
That year, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States—a historic moment. Coincidentally, there is also a city called Obama in Japan. The residents’ excitement over sharing the same name became a quirky news story, and we decided to build on it.
We created a banner that read:
“Search the fastest way to Obama City from your city with Google.”
Many people had heard of Obama City from the news but didn’t actually know where it was. When users clicked the banner, Google Maps opened with Obama City already set as the destination. All they had to do was enter their own city as the starting point, and they instantly experienced how easy it was to use the driving direction feature—in a fun and culturally relevant way.
The project not only educated users on a new product feature but was also recognized with a domestic Interactive Award in Japan, celebrating its creativity and effectiveness.
