Saga City

The Edible Business Card

The Market

Geometry Ogilvy Japan (a VMLY&R COMMERCE company)

The Challenge

It is a little known fact amongst Japanese that Saga Prefecture yields a whole quarter of the country's total seaweed production. A disproportionate amount considering Saga barely represents 0.6% of the total territory and population.

The Idea

he exchange of business cards is one of the oldest and most important business rituals in the country. No other interaction is more memorable than passing on this piece of vital personal and business information. Engraving pieces of Saga seaweed using laser cutting technology, we transformed every government meeting into an unforgettable sampling opportunity.

Growth

The monthly average distribution is 100 regular business cards per person. With this idea 5,000 business card seaweed samples were distributed within the first month. Additionally, the practice caught the industry and general public's attention generating $4m worth of media impressions from a $35,000 budget.

Recognition
  • Spikes, Silver (Design)
  • Spikes, Bronze (Design)
  • DFA Design for Asia Awards, Grand Prix
  • One Show, Merit (Direct Marketing)
  • AdFest, Lotus Roots (x2)
  • Adfest, Silver (Promo Lotus - Ambient Promotion: Small Scale)
  • Adfest, Bronze (Direct Lotus: Flat Mail & Print)
  • Adfest, Bronze (Design Lotus: Brand Collateral)
  • The Edible Business Card - Alt
  • Business card made of seaweed
  • Business card made of seaweed
  • Business cards made of seaweed
  • Business card made of seaweed